Scientific Research Studies
Skill in management demands full alertness, full creativity, and
full support of Nature. Scientific research on Maharishi's Transcendental
Meditation and extensive experience in corporations around the world
amply document the growth of these key success factors and other
benefits for managers, employees, their families, and their social
environment.
Broad Comprehension and
Increased Ability to Focus
Perceptual and Motor Skills
Field independence has been associated with a greater
ability to assimilate and structure experience, greater organization
of mind and cognitive clarity, improved memory, greater creative
expression, and a stable internal frame of reference. The results
show that practice of the Transcendental Meditation technique develops
greater field independence. This improvement in Transcendental Meditation
meditators is remarkable because it was previously thought that
these basic perceptual abilities do not improve beyond early adulthood.
(Perceptual and Motor Skills 39: 1031–1034, 1974. Perceptual
and Motor Skills 62: 731–738, 1986.)
Increased Creativity
Journal of Creative Behavior
It is widely recognised that creativity and innovation are key
success factors in today's competitive business environment. The
Transcendental Meditation program significantly increases creativity,
as shown by this study using the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking.
Five months after learning the Transcendental Meditation technique,
individuals practising the TM technique scored significantly higher
than members of a control group on three dimensions of creative
thinking. Other studies have shown that the TM program alleviates
the stress and anxiety that can obstruct creativity while making
the functioning of the brain more orderly (as measured by EEG coherence),
which has been positively correlated with creativity. (Journal
of Creative Behavior 13: 169-190, 1979. )
Reduced Stress and Anxiety
Journal of Clinical Psychology
A statistical meta-analysis conducted at Stanford University of
all available studies -- 146 independent outcomes -- found that
the Transcendental Meditation program was substantially more effective
in reducing anxiety, the most common sign of psychological stress,
than all other meditation and relaxation techniques, including muscle
relaxation. This meta-analysis -- the preferred scientific procedure
for drawing definitive conclusions from large bodies of research
-- showed that the positive effects of the TM program could not
be attributed to subject expectations, experimenter bias, or quality
of research design. (Journal of Clinical Psychology 45: 957-974,
1989.)
Reduced Risk Factors for Heart Disease
Hypertension
and
Psychosomatic Medicine
The Transcendental Meditation program has been shown to significantly
reduce risk factors for heart disease, including hypertension, high
cholesterol, anxiety, hostility, and smoking. In a randomised study
published in the journal of the American Heart Association, individuals
with mild hypertension experienced significant reductions in systolic
and diastolic blood pressure over a 3-month period after learning
the TM technique. These reductions in blood pressure were substantially
greater than those experienced by individuals in two control groups
-- a 'usual-care' group that received training in improved diet
and exercise and a group practising muscle relaxation. The TM technique
produced reductions in blood pressure equivalent to those produced
by anti-hypertensive drugs but without their adverse side effects.
A related study of health insurance data over a five-year period
found that individuals regularly practising the TM technique required
87% less hospitalisation for heart disease than the norm. (Hypertension,
26: 820-827, 1995. Psychosomatic Medicine 49: 493-507, 1987.)
50% Less Need for Medical Care
Psychosomatic Medicine
A study of medical care utilisation statistics for 2000 people
throughout the U.S. who regularly practised the Transcendental Meditation
technique found that over a 5-year period they consistently had
50% fewer doctor visits and hospital admissions than other groups
of comparable age, gender, profession, and insurance terms. Their
overall rate of hospitalisation was 56% lower than the norm, and
hospital admissions for those over 40 years of age were 69% lower.
Individuals practising the TM technique had fewer hospital admissions
in all disease categories compared to the norm, including 87% less
hospitalisation for heart disease, 55% less for cancer, and 87%
less for diseases of the nervous system. (Psychosomatic Medicine
49: 493-507, 1987. )
Reversal of the Ageing Process
International Journal of Neuroscience
This study examined the effect of the Transcendental Meditation
program on the 'biological age' of a person -- how old a person
is physiologically in contrast to chronologically. As a group, long-term
TM program participants, who had been practising the TM technique
for more than 5 years, were physiologically 12 years younger than
their chronological age, as measured by lower blood pressure, better
near-point vision, and better auditory discrimination. Short-term
TM program participants were physiologically 5 years younger than
their chronological age. The study statistically controlled for
the effects of diet and exercise. (International Journal of Neuroscience
16: 53-58, 1982.)
Reduced Smoking, Drug and Alcohol
Use
Alcoholism Treatment Quarterly and
International Journal of Addictions
A statistical meta-analysis of 198 independent treatment outcomes
found that the Transcendental Meditation program produced a significantly
larger reduction in tobacco, alcohol, and illicit drug use than
standard substance abuse treatments and prevention programs. The
meta-analysis controlled for strength of study design and included
both heavy and casual users. Whereas the effects of conventional
programs typically fall off rapidly within 3 months, effects of
the TM program increase over time. Total abstinence from tobacco,
alcohol, and non-prescribed drugs ranged from 51% to 89% over an
18-22 month period. The effects of the TM program are based upon
fundamental and naturally occurring improvements in mind and body.
(Alcoholism Treatment Quarterly 11: 13-87, 1994; International
Journal of Addictions 26: 293-325, 1991).
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