Does a singing bowl's sound change your brainwaves? Someone measured it
Strike a singing bowl and listen closely. The sound is not flat. It swells and fades: "wah... wah... wah..."
Could that rhythm make the brain move along with it? In 2023, researchers in Korea measured people's brainwaves while they listened to a singing bowl.
The short answer: while people listened to the bowl, their brainwaves changed clearly, which is interesting; but there was no comparison group, so we cannot yet say the singing bowl caused the changes.
What did the study see?
The researchers found 17 healthy young people. They lay on a comfortable reclining chair with their eyes closed and listened to a handheld singing bowl for about 5 minutes, with a device on the forehead measuring brainwaves.
The researchers worked out that this bowl's sound swells and fades about 6.68 times per second. That speed falls right inside the range of a kind of brainwave linked to relaxation and meditation (theta waves, 4 to 8 times per second).
- Following the beat: the part of the brainwaves that moves at the same speed as the bowl's beat grew the most, up to about 2.5 times its starting level.
- Slower up, faster down: slower brainwaves increased and faster ones decreased, mostly in the pattern often seen during relaxation.
- Still there afterwards: the changes were still there 50 seconds after the sound stopped.
What we cannot tell yet
The study did not include a group who lay with their eyes closed in the same way but heard no bowl. Also, some people fell asleep, and the authors say a few even snored; brainwaves look like this when a person is dozing off. With only 17 people and one bowl, we cannot yet tell whether the sound made the difference, or whether simply lying down to rest did.
Either way, giving yourself some quiet time is never a loss.
Three minutes to try tonight
This is not what the study did. It is just my invitation:
- Sit or lie down comfortably, open reCalm, and pick a singing bowl.
- Close your eyes and listen to how the sound swells and fades, like the rise and fall of a breath.
- If other thoughts come, that is fine. You do not need to chase them away.
Afterwards, notice whether your shoulders or your breathing feel even a little different. If not, that is fine too. You can try again tomorrow.
If you are struggling with poor sleep, anxiety or anything else that feels wrong, a singing bowl can be one part of how you look after yourself. Please let a doctor or other professional help you as well.
From my practice
This section is personal experience. It is not scientifically verified.
When I lead a session I cannot see anyone's brainwaves, so I cannot tell you what changes in them.
What participants tell me is that some fell asleep during the session, and some say they went into a very deep meditation. Overall, the feedback is that people feel very relaxed.
Limits of this research
- Only 17 young, healthy adults (average age 25), one bowl, and brainwaves measured at only two spots on the forehead.
- There was no comparison group: nobody lay with their eyes closed for the same time without the bowl sound, so we cannot tell whether the changes came from the sound or just from lying still and relaxing (or getting sleepy). The authors argue a comparison group was not needed.
- Some people fell asleep (the authors say a few even snored), and "slower brainwaves up, alpha waves down" is also what people's brains do as they start to fall asleep.
- How hard the bowl was struck and how loud it was were not precisely controlled.
- The paper's abstract says brainwaves rose "up to about 251%", but the 251.98 in its table is a share of the starting value set to 100, which means about 152% more than at the start (about 2.5 times); we follow the table.
- "Brainwaves following the bowl's beat means more relaxed" is the authors' reading, not something the experiment proved directly.
- The paper does not report how participants felt, or whether anyone felt unwell.
Sources
- Kim SC, Choi MJ. Does the Sound of a Singing Bowl Synchronize Meditational Brainwaves in the Listeners?. Int J Environ Res Public Health, 2023. doi:10.3390/ijerph20126180 · CC BY 4.0
If you would like to try it yourself, ten quiet minutes are waiting. Open reCalm
This article is a general introduction to research. It is not medical advice and does not replace care from a health professional.