Research at a Glance
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. more
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. more
American College of Cardiology • During its annual
convention last year, 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. more
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. more
“Transcendental Meditation makes me very happy. I feel happy inside
when I meditate and I feel happy when I am done meditating.”—Meena, age 12
Research findings
- Increased I.Q.
Intelligence - Improved academic performance
British Journal of Educational Psychology - Decreased anxiety
Journal of Clinical Psychology - Reduced substance abuse
The International Journal of the Addictions - Reduced risk factors
for hypertension,
diabetes, and obesity
American Medical Association’s Archives of Internal Medicine
Increased use of brain reserves
During the Transcendental Meditation program, early (sensory) components of the brain’s response to somatosensory stimuli are more widely distributed across the cortex, indicating greater participation of the whole brain in the response to a stimulus. Reference: Human Physiology 25: 171–180, 1999.
Increased creativity
This study used the Torrance Test of Creative Thinking to measure figural and verbal creativity in a control
group and in a group that subsequently learned the Transcendental Meditation technique. On the post-test 5 months later, the Transcendental Meditation group scored significantly higher on figural originality and flexibility and on verbal fluency. Reference: Journal of Creative Behavior 13:169–190, 1979.