Can EEG Headband Devices Like Muse Help Us Become Better Meditators And More Mindful?

With new gadgets constantly flooding the market, promising to tell you everything from your heart rate to how many calories you’ve burned, it’s about time that a similar device finally exists for your brain.

Meet the Muse; simply put the band around your head, and it will measure the electrical activity in your brain. This info can help you achieve a greater sense of mindfulness and focus in all aspects of your daily life.

According to Muse, using the device for just 3 minutes a day will help you improve focus and concentration. They go on to make claims, promising it will improve your response to stress, increase self-control, benefit your emotional state, and help you form habits (which habits exactly is unclear).

Are these just hollow claims, or is there something to it? I wanted to find out, so I I consulted 2 neuroscientists and 2 Meditation practitioners to answer some of the fundamental questions of meditation and the potential effectiveness of a device like Muse.

So how does Muse work?

Muse is simply a headband with EEG sensors on the front. Putting the device around your head and opening up the app on your iPhone or Android device will show a dashboard to start a new session…