What does modern science say about the ancient wisdom of meditation? See for yourself!
In the article “10 Biggest Benefits of Meditation” we presented an overview of scientific research on meditation in simple, everyday language. Here we have upped the ante — this section is meant for those who want to go more deeply into the studies and read the research papers themselves.
We have provided as many full texts of research papers as possible. And in the cases we were been unable to make the full text of the scientific article available online due to copyright issues, we’ve included a link to the publisher’s page where the study can be purchased.
We continually update this database to add the latest research studies.
Academic articles on meditation and health
BLOOD PRESSURE
“Investigating the effect of transcendental meditation on blood pressure: a systematic review and meta-analysis” (2015)
“Beyond medications and diet: Alternative approaches to lowering blood pressure. A scientific statement from the American Heart Association” (2013)
“Effects of a randomized controlled trial of Transcendental Meditation on components of the metabolic syndrome in subjects with coronary heart disease” (2006)
“Effectiveness of broad spectrum approaches to relapse prevention in severe alcoholism: A long-term, randomized, controlled trial of TrM, EMG biofeedback and electronic neurotherapy” (1994)
OTHER
“Clinical practice guidelines for supportive care of patients treated for breast cancer” (2014)
“Levels of immune cells in transcendental meditation practitioners” (2014)
“Effects of behavioral stress reduction Transcendental Meditation intervention in persons with HIV” (2013)
Scientific studies on meditation and mental health
“Reduced trauma symptoms and perceived stress in male prison inmates through the Transcendental Meditation Program: A randomized controlled trial” (2016)
“Changes in trait brainwave power and coherence, state and trait anxiety after three-month Transcendental Meditation (TM) practice” (2016)
“Stress reduction with the Transcendental Meditation program in caregivers: A pilot study” (2015)
“Effects of the Transcendental Meditation program on adaptive mechanisms: changes in hormone levels and responses to stress after 4 months of practice” (1997)
“Use of the TM technique to reduce symptoms of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) by reducing stress and anxiety: An exploratory study” (2008)
OTHER
“Societal violence and collective consciousness: Reduction of U.S. homicide and urban violent crime rates” (2016)
“Effects of Transcendental Meditation on mental health: a before-after study” (2008)
Research on meditation, psychological traits and cognition
BRAIN FUNCTIONING
“Default mode network activation and Transcendental Meditation practice: Focused attention or automatic self-transcending?” (2017)
“Neurofeedback-enhanced gamma brainwaves from the prefrontal cortical region of meditators and non-meditators and associated subjective experiences” (2011)
“Cross-sectional and longitudinal study of effects of Transcendental Meditation practice on inter-hemispheric frontal asymmetry and frontal coherence” (2006)
“A comparative study of dimensions of healthy functioning between families practicing the TM meditation program for 5 years or more or for less than a year” (2004)