A prospective study was performed to assess
the effects of the group practice of the Transcendental Meditation and
TM-Sidhi program on the quality of life in Rhode Island. The number of
TM-Sidhi program participants was sufficient to create the Maharishi Effect
for the entire state. A time-series analysis was performed on a monthly
index that assessed the quality of life in Rhode Island in comparison to
a demographically matched control state. During the experimental period,
an index comprised of the following variables significantly decreased:
crime, motor vehicle fatalities, auto accidents, deaths, alcoholic beverage
and cigarette consumption, unemployment, and pollution. In the figure above,
an increase illustrates an improvement in the index of all these variables
taken together.
Consciousness as a field: The Transcendental
Meditation and TM-Sidhi program and changes in social indicators, The Journal
of Mind and Behavior 8: 67–103, 1987.
