Scientific Research

Dillbeck, M. C.; Landrith III, G.; and Orme-Johnson, D. W. The Transcendental Meditation program and crime rate change in a sample of forty eight cities. Journal of Crime and Justice 4: 25–45, 1981.

Findings: Cities in which one per cent of the population were instructed in the Transcendental Meditation program showed decreased crime rate the following year in contrast to matched control cities. They also showed decreased trend of crime rate over the following five years in contrast to the control cities.

Dillbeck, M. C.; Banus, C. B.; Polanzi, C.; and Landrith III, G. S. Test of a field model of consciousness and social change: The Transcendental Meditation and TM-Sidhi program and decreased urban crime. The Journal of Mind and Behavior 9: 457–486, 1988.

This paper reported the results of three studies at the city level.

Findings of Study 1: In a random sample of 160 cities in the United States, causal analysis statistical procedures found that the proportion of the population instructed in the Transcendental Meditation technique had a leading influence in reduction of crime rate over the subsequent years.

Findings of Study 2: The findings of Study 1 were replicated in a sample of 80 U.S. metropolitan areas.

Findings of Study 3: In the metropolitan area of Washington, D.C., during periods when the size of a group of participants in the TM-Sidhi program of Yogic Flying exceeded the square root of one per cent of the metropolitan population, there was a significant decrease in violent crime, with the size of the decrease in proportion to the size of the group of Yogic Flyers.

Orme-Johnson, D. W.; Alexander, C. N.; Davies, J. L.; Chandler, H. M.; and Larimore, W. E. International peace project in the Middle East: The effect of the Maharishi Technology of the Unified Field. Journal of Conflict Resolution 32: 776–812, 1988.

Findings at the City Level: The quality of life in Jerusalem, as assessed by an index measuring reduced crime, reduced automobile accidents, and reduced fires, improved immediately during periods when a large group was participating in the Transcendental Meditation Sidhi program in the city.

Hatchard, G. D.; Deans, A. J.; Cavanaugh, K. L.; and Orme-Johnson, D. W. The Maharishi Effect: A model for social improvement. Time series analysis of a phase transition to reduced crime in Merseyside metropolitan area. Psychology, Crime, and Law 2: 165–174, 1996.

Findings: Metropolitan Merseyside, England, showed decreased crime when the number of group participants in the Transcendental Meditation Sidhi program in an adjacent community reached the square root of one per cent of the metropolitan area.

Hagelin, John S.; Rainforth, Maxwell V.; Orme- Johnson, David W.; Cavanaugh, Kenneth L.; Alex- ander, Charles N.; Shatkin, Susan F.; Davies, John L.; Hughes, Anne O.; and Ross, Emanuel. Effects of group practice of the Transcendental Meditation program on preventing violent crime in Washing-ton, DC: Results of the National Demonstration Project, June–July, 1993. Social Indicators Research 47: 153–201, 1999.

Findings: There was a highly significant decrease in violent crime associated with increases in the size of the group of TM-Sidhi program Yogic Flyers. The maximum effect, when the group was largest in the final week, was for violent crimes against persons a reduction of 23.3% (p < 2 x 10-9) for 1993 data, or 24.6% for 1988– 1993 data. The effect for the same period for violent crimes overall (against both persons and property) was a reduction of 15.6% (p = .0008). A secondary analysis of violent crimes against persons found the effect of the TM-Sidhi program group could not be attributed to changes in police staffing. The effect was also independent of time of year; it was not found at the same time in prior years.

Dillbeck, M. C.; Cavanaugh, K. L.; Glenn, T.; Orme-Johnson, D. W.; and Mittlefehldt, V. Consciousness as a field: The Transcendental Meditation and TM-Sidhi program and changes in social indicators. The Journal of Mind and Behavior 8: 67–104, 1987.

This paper reported the results of five studies at the state level.

Findings of Study 1: During a period when there was a large group of participants in the TM-Sidhi program of Yogic Flying in New Delhi, India, there was a significant decrease in crime in the Union Territory of Delhi, the national capital territory.

Findings of Study 2: When there was a group of TM-Sidhi Yogic Flyers near the capital city of Puerto Rico, exceeding in size the square root of one per cent of the population of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, then at that time there was a significant decrease in crime in the Commonwealth.

Findings of Study 3: When a large group of participants in the TM-Sidhi program of Yogic Flying came to Metro Manila, the national capital region of the Philippines, there was a significant decrease in crime in this region.

Findings of Study 4: During a period in which a large group of TM-Sidhi Yogic Flyers was created in the capital region of the Philippines, there was a significant improvement in a quality of life index comprising reduced crime, fetal deaths, and other deaths.

Findings of Study 5: Quality of life improved in the state of Rhode Island, in comparison to a control state, during periods in which groups of participants in the TM-Sidhi program of Yogic Flying were established in Rhode Island. Improved quality of life was measured by a comprehensive index including reduced crime, reduced auto accidents, reduced motor vehicle fatalities, reduced deaths due to other causes, reduced alcoholic beverage consumption, reduced cigarette consumption, reduced unemployment, and reduced pollution.

Reeks, D. Improved quality of life in Iowa through the Maharishi Effect. Dissertation Abstracts International 51(12): 6155B, 1991.

Findings: After a permanent large group of participants in the TM-Sidhi program of Yogic Flying was established at Maharishi International University (now Maharishi University of Management) in the state of Iowa, USA, time series transfer function analysis indicated that monthly rates of traffic fatalities, crime, and unemployment decreased significantly.

Cavanaugh, K. L. Time series analysis of U.S. and Canadian inflation and unemployment: A test of a field-theoretic hypothesis. Proceedings of the American Statistical Association, Business and Economics Statistics Section (Alexandria, Virginia: American Statistical Association): 799–804, 1987.

Findings: During periods when the size of a group of participants in the TM-Sidhi program of Yogic Flying exceeded the square root of one per cent of the U.S. and Canadian national populations, immediately afterwards the sum of the monthly national inflation and unemployment rates declined significantly in both countries, as indicated by time series analysis.

Cavanaugh, K. L., and King, K. D. Simultaneous transfer function analysis of Okun’s misery index: Improvements in the economic quality of life through Maharishi’s Vedic Science and technology of consciousness. Proceedings of the American Statistical Association, Business and Economics Statistics Section (Alexandria, Virginia: American Statistical Association): 491–496, 1988.

Findings: Reduction of combined rates of inflation and unemployment in the United States was found, controlling for monetary growth and rate of change of crude materials prices, during and after months in which the size of a group of TM-Sidhi program participants (Yogic Flyers) exceeded the square root of one per cent of the U.S. population.

Orme-Johnson, D. W.; Alexander, C. N.; Davies, J. L.; Chandler, H. M.; and Larimore, W. E. International peace project in the Middle East: The effect of the Maharishi Technology of the Unified Field. Journal of Conflict Resolution 32: 776–812, 1988.

Findings at the National Level: Quality of life in Israel improved significantly, as measured by an index comprising decreased crime, increased Tel Aviv Stock Exchange index, and improved national mood (analysis of daily news), when a large group was participating in the Transcendental Meditation Sidhi program in Jerusalem.

Cavanaugh, K. L.; King, K. D.; and Ertuna, C. A multiple-input transfer function model of Okun’s misery index: An empirical test of the Maharishi Effect. Proceedings of the American Statistical Association, Business and Economics Statistics Section (Alexandria, Virginia: American Statistical Association): 565–570, 1989.

Findings: Reduction of combined rates of inflation and unemployment in the United States was found, controlling for monetary growth, rate of change of crude materials prices, and rate of change of industrial production, during and after months in which the size of a group of TM-Sidhi program participants (Yogic Flyers) exceeded the square root of one per cent of the U.S. population.

Cavanaugh, K. L.; King, K. D.; and Titus, B. D. Consciousness and the quality of economic life: Empirical research on the macroeconomic effects of the collective practice of Maharishi’s Transcendental Meditation and TM-Sidhi program. In R.G. Greenwood (ed.), Proceedings of the Midwest Management Society (Chicago, Illinois: Midwest Management Society): 183–190, 1989.

Findings: Reduction of combined rates of inflation and unemployment in the United States was found, controlling for monetary growth and rate of change of crude materials prices, during and after months in which the size of a group of TM-Sidhi program participants (Yogic Flyers) exceeded the square root of one per cent of the U.S. population; this study replicated previous findings using alternative time series procedures based on monthly variation in the size of the TM-Sidhi program group.

Dillbeck, M. C. Test of a Field Theory of Consciousness and Social Change: Time Series Analysis of Participation in the TM-Sidhi program and Reduction of Violent Death in the U.S. Social Indicators Research 22: 399–418, 1990.

Findings: Weekly fatalities (homicides, suicides, and auto accidents) decreased significantly in the United States during periods when the size of a group of participants in the Transcendental Meditation Sidhi program exceeded the square root of one per cent of the national population.

Assimakis, P. D., and Dillbeck, M. C. Time series analysis of improved quality of life in Canada: Social change, collective consciousness, and the TM- Sidhi program. Psychological Reports 76: 1171– 1193, 1995.

This paper reported the results of two studies at the national level.

Findings of Study 1: Weekly fatalities (homi- cides, suicides, and auto accidents) decreased significantly in Canada during periods when the size of a U.S. group of participants in the TM- Sidhi program exceeded the square root of one per cent of the combined U.S.-Canada national populations.

Findings of Study 2: During periods when the size of a U.S. group of participants in the TM- Sidhi program exceeded the square root of one per cent of the combined U.S.-Canada national populations, there was a significant improve- ment in a comprehensive quality of life index comprising reduced homicide, reduced sui- cide, reduced motor vehicle fatalities, reduced cigarette consumption, and reduced days lost in strikes.

Dillbeck, M. C., and Rainforth, M. V. Impact Assessment Analysis of Behavioral Quality of Life Indices: Effects of Group Practice of the Transcendental Meditation and TM-Sidhi program. In Proceedings of the Social Statistics Section of the American Statistical Association (Alexandria, VA: American Statistical Association): 38–43, 1996.

Findings: During periods when the size of a group of participants in the Transcendental Meditation Sidhi program exceeded the square root of one per cent of the national population, there was a significant improvement in a comprehensive quality of life index comprising behavioral variables (reduced homicide, reduced suicide, reduced motor vehicle fatalities, reduced deaths due to other accidents, reduced notifiable diseases, reduced alcohol consumption, and reduced cigarette consumption), controlling for changes in national economic trends (unemployment). Similar effects were found for neighboring Canada when the size of the group of TM-Sidhi program participants exceeded the square root of one per cent of the combined U.S.-Canada population.

Goodman, Rachel S. The Maharishi Effect and government: Effects of a National Demonstration Project and a permanent group of Transcendental Meditation and TM-Sidhi program practitioners on success, public approval, and coherence in the Clinton, Reagan and Bush presidencies. Dissertation Abstracts International 58(6): 2385A, 1997.

Findings of study 1: A large group of participants in the TM-Sidhi program from around the United States and the world assembled in in- creasing numbers in several sites in and around the District of Columbia during the period from June 3 to July 30, 1993. Weekly data was analyzed on presidential approval ratings, positivity of the media towards the president, a social stress index composed of four variables from the District of Columbia, and the four component variables comprising this index—emergency psychiatric calls, hospital trauma cases, complaints against the police, and accidental deaths. Data analyzed were from 1993, and control data to assess seasonal effects were from 1994 (national data) or 1992 (District of Columbia data). During and after the period in which the assembly of TM-Sidhi program Yogic Flyers gathered in Washington, D.C., structural break analysis indicated a significant improvement in each of the variables: increased presidential approval by the public (p < .0000001), increased positivity of media reports about the president (p = .01), reduction of the social stress index in the District of Columbia (p < .0001), reduction of emergency psychiatric calls (p < .01), reduction of hospital trauma cases (p = .02), fewer complaints against the police (p = .01), and fewer accidental deaths (p = .05). Comparable significant effects were not found at the same time in previous or subsequent years.

Findings of study 2: Time series transfer function analysis (1981–1994) assessed the effect of the large group of Yogic Flyers at Maharishi University of Management, or other assemblies large enough to influence the United States, on presidential approval, on positive reports of media, on presidential approval while controlling for the influence of media reports, and on U.S. interaction with other countries. Time series impact assessment analysis also assessed the effect of levels of size of the group of Yogic Flyers upon U.S. interaction with other countries. The group of participants in the TM-Sidhi program was found to have a significant positive effect (p < .05) on (1) on presidential approval ratings, (2) positive reports of media, and (3) presidential approval ratings while controlling for the influence of media reports, during the Bush administration and also separately during the Clinton administration. The group of TM-Sidhi program Yogic Flyers was also found to have a significant effect (p < .05) of increasing presidential approval ratings during the Reagan administration. The group of Yogic Flyers also had a highly significant effect during the Reagan administration of increasing the positivity of U.S. interactions with other countries (p < 10-11). The same result was found when using impact assessment analysis to estimate the effect of discrete levels of participation in the Yogic Flying group on U.S. interactions with other countries (p ≤ .01 for all intervention parameters).

Hatchard, G. D. (2000). Maharishi Vedic Economy: Wholeness on the Move. Dissertation Abstracts International, 61(4), 2271B.

Findings: Both New Zealand and Norway reached one per cent of their population instructed in the Transcendental Meditation program; economic changes in these nations thereafter were assessed through the IMD Index of International Competitive Advantage, a measure of economic health derived from a database of 224 variables for each of 46 nations, published in the IMD Yearbook by the International Institute for Management Development in Lausanne, Switzerland. The study compared change in the one per cent countries after reaching the threshold in 1993 to the other 44 countries through regression analysis of panel data from 1992 to 1998, controlling for serial correlation in the time series structure of the data. A highly significant improvement in overall economic performance was found in New Zealand and Norway after reaching the predicted threshold during 1993, in comparison to the other countries in the IMD da- tabase (p < 10-14). The effect was also substantial, representing an effect size of .62 in terms of the untransformed IMD Index scores (prior to correction for serial correlation). A secondary analysis was also performed on the national rankings on 40 IMD subscales; this analysis was also statistically significant, indicating that the improvement in economic performance among the two countries was uniquely comprehensive. Comparison with OECD data confirmed that the changes were sustained and balanced in nature, with five years of high growth, low unemployment, and low inflation during the study period.

Davies, J. L.; and Alexander, C. N. Alleviating political violence through reducing collective ten- sion: Impact assessment analyses of the Lebanon war. Journal of Social Behavior and Personality 17: 285–338, 2005.

Findings: During periods when groups of par- ticipants in the Transcendental Meditation Si- dhi program of sufficient size were established, there was a significant increase in progress to- wards peace in the Middle East, as measured by an index comprising increased cooperation/ reduced conflict, reduced war fatalities, and re- duced war injuries, as well as improvements in the variables separately.

Gelderloos, P.; Frid, M. J.; Goddard, P. H.; Xue, X.; and Löliger, S. A. Creating World Peace Through the Collective Practice of the Maharishi Technology of the Unified Field: Improved U.S.-Soviet Relations. Social Science Perspectives Journal 2(4): 80–94, 1988.

Findings: During periods from 1985 to 1987 when the size of a permanent U.S. group of TM- Sidhi program participants (Yogic Flyers) was large, the statements of the U.S. head of state concerning the Soviet Union became more positive, indicating improved international relations.

Gelderloos, P.; Cavanaugh, K. L.; and Davies, J. L. The dynamics of US-Soviet relations, 1979–1986: Effects of reducing social stress through the Tran- scendental Meditation and TM-Sidhi program. In Proceedings of the Social Statistics Section of the American Statistical Association (Alexandria, VA: American Statistical Association): 297–302, 1990.

Findings: As indicated by time series analysis of an independent data bank, during periods from 1979 to 1986 when the size of a group of participants in the TM-Sidhi program of Yogic Flying in the United States was larger than the square root of one per cent of the U.S. population (a little over 1500 at the time), there was a significant increase in the positivity of actions of the United States towards the Soviet Union compared to periods when the size of the group was below 1500. When the size of the group exceeded 1700, there was also an increase in positivity of actions of the Soviet Union towards the United States.

Orme-Johnson, D. W.; Alexander, C. N.; Davies, J. L.; Chandler, H. M.; and Larimore, W. E. International peace project in the Middle East: The effect of the Maharishi Technology of the Unified Field. Journal of Conflict Resolution 32: 776–812, 1988.

Findings at the International Level: During periods when a large group was participating in the Transcendental Meditation Sidhi program in Israel, there was a significant drop in war intensity and war deaths in the neighboring Middle East conflict.

Orme-Johnson, D. W.; Alexander, C. N.; and Davies, J. L. The effects of the Maharishi Technology of the Unified Field: Reply to a methodological critique. Journal of Conflict Resolution 34: 756–768, 1990.

Findings: During periods when a large group was participating in the Transcendental Meditation Sidhi program in Israel, the significant drop in war intensity and war deaths in the neighboring Middle East conflict was found to be highly robust to alternative methods of statistical evaluation. The findings of the original study were replicated and strengthened by this re-analysis. Irrespective of the 14 alternative noise models assessed, there was a significant influence of the TM-Sidhi program group in reducing the magnitude of the war index. In addition, the noise models that were more suitable, according to the Akaike Information Criterion, yielded more significant effects of the TM-Sidhi program group (p < .0001). In an additional control procedure suggested by a reviewer, randomly generated sequences serving as alternative variables did not have any significant relationship to the independent or dependent variable, indicating that the results of the original study were not spurious.

Orme-Johnson, David W.; and Oates, Robert M. A field-theoretic view of consciousness: Reply to critics. Journal of Scientific Exploration 23: 1-28, 2009.

Findings: This study replicated in a second manner the findings of the original study in the Journal of Conflict Resolution (1988) on a comprehensive index of improved quality of life in Israel and reduction of war intensity in Lebanon (August-September 1983), controlling for cultural/political events that in principle could have confounded the original findings. Although the cultural political events had some influence on the outcome variable, additional statistical analyses indicated that the measurable effect of the large group of experts in the TM-Sidhi program was found to continue to be significant and positive.

Orme-Johnson, D. W.; Dillbeck, M. C.; and Alexander, C. N. Preventing terrorism and international conflict: Effects of large assemblies of participants in the Transcendental Meditation and TM-Sidhi programs. Journal of Offender Rehabilitation 36: 283–302, 2003.

Findings: During the periods of three assemblies approaching or exceeding 7,000 experts in the Transcendental Meditation Sidhi program (the square root of one per cent of the world’s population at the time of these studies), there was a significant decrease in international conflict worldwide, as indicated by time series analysis performed on data obtained by content analysis of major international newspapers. There was also a significant decreased in fatalities and injuries due to international terrorism during the period of the same three assemblies, as indicated by time series analysis of data received from an independent research group.