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Over
600 scientific studies done at over 100 independent research
institutions in over 160 peer reviewed journals validate the
benefits of TM. Many of these studies are reprinted in 7
volumes of the Collected Papers available from
Maharishi University Press.
www.TM.org/research-on-meditation
Top 100 published studies |
Physiological research
has shown that Transcendental Meditation gives rise to a unique
state of deep rest characterized by marked reductions in metabolic
activity [3-13], increased orderliness and integration of brain
functioning [14-27], increased cerebral blood flow [6, 28, 29], and
features directly opposite to the physiological and biochemical
effects of stress, including skin resistance changes [3, 8, 30, 31]
and reductions in plasma cortisol [32-35], arterial blood lactate
[3, 6, 7, 11, 30], and muscle tone [15, 36]. Several other
neuroendocrine changes have also been observed during
Transcendental Meditation [31, 37-44]. Taken together, these
studies clearly distinguish the physiology of Transcendental
Meditation from sleep or simple relaxation [13, 30] |
Students at Maharishi
International University 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
International University 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: 731738, 1986. |
This study found
that during the Transcendental Meditation program some of the early
sensory components of the brain's response to somatosensory
stimulation (0–100 msec) are more widely distributed across the
cortex. This study, by Dr. Nicolai Nicolaevich Lyubimov, Director
of the Moscow Brain Research Institute's Laboratory of
Neurocybernetics, indicates that during the Transcendental
Meditation program there is an increase in the areas of the cortex
taking part in perception of specific information and an increase
in the functional relationship between the two hemispheres.
References:
- Proceedings of the
International Symposium Physiological and Biochemical Basis
of Brain Activity, St. Petersburg, Russia, (June 22–24,
1992).
- 2nd Russian-Swedish
Symposium New Research in Neurobiology, Moscow, Russia,
(May 19–21, 1992).
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After one year of practice of the
Transcendental Meditation program, elementary school students
showed significant gains on the lowa Tests of Basic Skills, a
nationally standardized test (ref. 1). A second study showed
significant gains in high school students (grades 9–12) on the lowa
Tests of Educational Development (ref. 2). A third study (ref. 3)
found that the length of time students had been practicing the
Transcendental Meditation program was significantly correlated with
academic achievement, independent of student IQ scores.
References:
- Education 107
(1986): 49–54.
- Education 109
(1989): 302–304.
- Modern Science and
Vedic Science 1 (1987): 433–468.
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National Institutes of Health
The NIH has awarded
more than $24 million to study the benefits of the Transcendental
Meditation technique for improving brain functioning and
cardiovascular health during the past 20 years.
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American Medical
Association
The AMA’s journal Archives of
Internal Medicine published a recent study showing the TM technique
is highly effective in preventing the risk factors for high blood
pressure, diabetes, and obesity.
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American College of
Cardiology
During its annual convention, the
ACC hosted a symposium on the research conducted at more than a
dozen independent universities and medical schools on the effects
of the Transcendental Meditation technique for reducing heart
disease, hypertension, stroke, cholesterol, atherosclerosis, and
heart failure.
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American
Psychological Association
During its annual conference last
year, the APA featured research on the TM technique that documents
the positive, long-term benefits of the practice for
self-actualization and self-development.
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