Six Volumes of Collected Papers of Scientific Research on the Transcendental Meditation and TM-Sidhi Programs

Over 500 scientific research studies conducted at more than 200 universities and research institutions demonstrate extraordinary benefits of the Transcendental Meditation program. The following charts summarize some important findings from published research studies:

1. Development of Intelligence
2. Deep Rest
3. Increased Strength of Self-Concept
4. Increased Self-Actualization
5. Decreased Stress
6. Reduced Anxiety
7. Improved Relations at Work
8. Lower Blood Pressure
9. Reduced Need for Medical Care - Decreased Doctor Visits
10. Reduced Need for Medical Care - Decreased Hospitalizations
11. Reversal of Biological Aging Process 

Students at Maharishi University of Management in Fairfield, Iowa, who regularly practiced Transcendental Meditation, increased significantly in intelligence over a 2-year period, compared to control subjects from another Iowa university. This finding corroborates the results of two other studies showing increased IQ in Maharishi University of Management students. 

Reference I: Transcendental Meditation and improved performance on intelligence-related measures: A longitudinal study, Personality and Individual Differences 12: 1105-1116, 1991. 

Reference II: Longitudinal effects of the Transcendental Meditation and TM-Sidhi program on cognitive ability and cognitive style, Perceptual and Motor Skills 62: 731-738, 1986. 

A meta-analysis, the preferred scientific procedure for drawing definitive conclusions from large bodies of research, found Transcendental Meditation produced a significant increase in basal skin resistance compared with eyes-closed rest, indicating profound relaxation. Deep rest and relaxation were also indicated by greater decreases in respiration rates and plasma lactate levels compared to ordinary rest. These physiological changes occur spontaneously as the mind effortlessly settles to the state of restful alertness, pure consciousness.

Reference: Physiological differences between Transcendental Meditation and rest, American Psychologist 42: 879-881, 1987.

One month after beginning Transcendental Meditation, subjects experienced an improved self-concept in comparison to before learning the technique. Transcendental Meditation participants developed a more strongly defined self-concept and also came to perceive their "actual self" as significantly closer to their "ideal self." No similar changes were observed for matched controls.

Reference I: Effects of Transcendental Meditation on self-identity indices and personality, British Journal of Psychology 73: 57-68, 1982. 

Reference II: Psychological research on the effects of the Transcendental Meditation technique on a number of personality variables, Gedrag: Tijdschrift voor Psychologie (Behavior: Journal of Psychology) 4: 206-218, 1976.

Self-actualization refers to realizing more of one's inner potential, expressed in every area of life. A statistical meta-analysis of all available studies-of 42 independent studies-indicated that the effect of Transcendental Meditation on increasing self-actualization is markedly greater than that of other forms of meditation and relaxation. This analysis statistically controlled for length of treatment and quality of research design.

Reference: Transcendental Meditation, self-actualization, and psychological health: A conceptual overview and statistical meta-analysis, Journal of Social Behavior and Personality 6: 189-248, 1991.

Plasma cortisol is a stress hormone. The study shows that plasma cortisol decreased during Transcendental Meditation, whereas it did not change significantly in control subjects during ordinary relaxation.

Reference: Adrenocortical activity during meditation, Hormones and Behavior 10(1): 54-60, 1978.

A statistical meta-analysis conducted at Stanford University of all available studies-146 independent outcomes-indicated that the effect of the Transcendental Meditation program on reducing anxiety as a character trait was much greater than that of all other meditation and relaxation techniques, including muscle relaxation. This analysis also showed that the positive Transcendental Meditation result could not be attributed to subject expectation, experimenter bias, or quality of research design.

Reference: Differential effects of relaxation techniques on trait anxiety: A meta-analysis, Journal of Clinical Psychology 45: 957-974, 1989.

This study found significant improvements in relations with supervisors and coworkers after an average of 11 months practicing Transcendental Meditation, in comparison to control subjects. And while Transcendental Meditation practitioners reported that they felt less anxiety about promotion (shown by reduced climb orientation), their fellow employees saw them as moving ahead quickly. People at every level of the organization benefited from practicing the Transcendental Meditation program.

Reference: Transcendental Meditation and productivity, Academy of Management Journal 17 (2): 362-368, 1974. 

In a clinical experiment with elderly African Americans (mean age 66) dwelling in an inner-city community, Transcendental Meditation was compared with the most widely used method of producing physiological relaxation. Subjects who had moderately elevated blood pressure levels were randomly assigned Transcendental Meditation, Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR), or usual care. Over a 3-month interval, systolic and diastolic blood pressure dropped by 10.6 and 5.9 mm Hg, respectively, in the Transcendental Meditation group, and 4.0 and 2.1. mm Hg in the PMR group, with virtually no change in the usual care group. A second random assignment study with the elderly conducted at Harvard found similar blood pressure changes produced by Transcendental Meditation over 3 months (11 mm Hg for systolic blood pressure).

Reference I: In search of an optimal behavioral treatment for hypertension: A review and focus on Transcendental Meditation, chapter in Personality, Elevated Blood Pressure, and Essential Hypertension (Washington, D.C., Hemisphere Publishing, 1992). 

Reference II: Transcendental Meditation, mindfulness, and longevity: An experimental study with the elderly, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 57(6): 950-964, 1989. 

A study of health insurance statistics on over 2,000 people practicing the Transcendental Meditation program over a 5-year period found that the Transcendental Meditation meditators consistently had more than 50% fewer doctor visits than did other groups with comparable age, gender, profession, and insurance terms. The difference between the Transcendental Meditation and non-Transcendental Meditation groups increased in older-age brackets.

Reference I: Medical care utilization and the Transcendental Meditation program, Psychosomatic Medicine 49: 493-507, 1987. 

Reference II: Reduced health care utilization in Transcendental Meditation practitioners, presented at the conference of the Society for Behavioral Medicine, Washington, D.C., March 22, 1987. 

A study of health insurance statistics on over 2,000 people practicing the Transcendental Meditation program over a 5-year period found that the Transcendental Meditation meditators consistently had less than half the hospitalization than did other groups with comparable age, gender, profession, and insurance terms. The difference between the Transcendental Meditation and non-Transcendental Meditation groups increased in older-age brackets. In addition, the Transcendental Meditation meditators had fewer incidents of illness in 17 medical treatment categories, including 87% less hospitalization for heart disease and 55% less for cancer.

Reference I: Medical care utilization and the Transcendental Meditation program, Psychosomatic Medicine 49: 493-507, 1987. 

Reference II: Reduced health care utilization in Transcendental Meditation practitioners, presented at the conference of the Society for Behavioral Medicine, Washington, D.C., March 22, 1987. 

Biological age measures how old a person is physiologically. As a group, long-term meditators who had been practicing Transcendental Meditation for more than 5 years were physiologically 12 years younger than their chronological age, as measured by reduction of blood pressure, and better near-point vision and auditory discrimination. Short-term meditators were physiologically 5 years younger than their chronological age. The study controlled for the effects of diet and exercise.

Reference: The Effects of the Transcendental Meditation and TM-Sidhi program on the aging process, International Journal of Neuroscience 16 (1): 53-58, 1982.

© 2003, Maharishi University of Management. All rights reserved. ® Transcendental Meditation, TM, Maharishi Transcendental Meditation, and Maharishi University of Management are registered or common law trademarks licensed to Maharishi Vedic Education Development Corporation and used under sublicense.