5 papers in the library · 56 citations · publishing 2023-2026
Neuropsychologia September 28, 2023 Avijit Chowdhury, Remko Van Lutterveld, Ruben E. Laukkonen et al. 54 citations
In a single intensively sampled case, EEG spectral analysis was used to investigate advanced mindfulness meditation "cessation" experiences, revealing distinct neural signatures associated with these profound meditative states.
Philosophical Psychology January 1, 2026 Juensung J. Kim, Kadi Tulver, Jaan Aru et al. 1 citation
Mystical-type experiences and insight problem solving both belong to a family of "realization experiences" where information suddenly becomes experienced as real or true. Both can be modeled using behavioral entropy and graph theory. When novel information conflicts with prior representations, the mind destabilizes its representational network, entering a state of altered salience and enhanced associations. After restructuring sensitive to environmental cues, the agent forms new beliefs or revises its entire framework. The phenomenology depends on the size and content of the updated network and environmental affordances. This shared vocabulary aims to facilitate discussion across these phenomena.
Artificial General Intelligence January 1, 2026 Ruben E. Laukkonen, Fionn Inglis, Shamil Chandaria et al. 1 citation
Prompting AI to reflect on four contemplative principles—mindfulness, emptiness, non-duality, and boundless care—improves alignment and cooperation. On the AILuminate Benchmark, performance increased with a Cohen's d of .96, and on the Iterated Prisoner’s Dilemma task, cooperation and joint-reward improved with a Cohen's d greater than 7. The principles help AI self-monitor goals, avoid rigid attachment, dissolve adversarial boundaries, and reduce suffering universally. Active inference is proposed as a way to integrate these principles into AI architecture. This approach offers a resilient alternative to controlling superintelligence and provides an empirical test of ancient wisdom.
bioRxiv Preprint Server June 2, 2026 Ambra Pogliani, Alexandra Zachary, Lena Hall et al. preprint
Insights accompanied by “Aha!” experiences are studied in the lab, but these may miss the full range of insight as it occurs naturally. In an online study of 73 adults with prior psychedelic experience, participants rated insights from four contexts: psychedelic experiences, everyday life, word puzzles (Compound Remote Associates), and ambiguous images. Psychedelic insights scored higher than everyday insights on intensity, meaning, ineffability, and perceived belief change, while laboratory insights scored lower than both naturalistic contexts. Meaning was the strongest predictor of perceived belief change, and after accounting for phenomenological dimensions, context no longer predicted belief change. Lab paradigms capture core “Aha!” features but underrepresent personal meaning and belief updating.
bioRxiv September 25, 2025 Jakub Vohryzek, Edmundo Lopez-Sola, Winson F.z. Yang et al. preprint
Advanced concentrative absorption meditation (jhāna) produces a shift in brain dynamics toward near-criticality, a state of heightened flexibility and integration. Using 7T fMRI and whole-brain modeling, the study found that later absorption states, considered minimal phenomenal experiences, show increased large-scale functional integration and a shift of the default mode network from a noise-driven regime to near-critical dynamics. This near-critical regime is interpreted as a form of openness, where constrained brain activity gives way to greater flexibility, correlating with broader attention and reduced narrative thought. The trajectory of these states is non-linear, with major reconfigurations at key meditative milestones.