Maharishi Effect:
Papers and Presentations

Citation

Experimental Design

Findings

Alleviating political violence through enhancing coherence in collective consciousness: Impact assessment analysis of the Lebanon war.
Reference: Dissertation Abstracts International, 49(8), 2381A.
Davies, J. L. (1988).

A database of articles related to events in Lebanon from many media sources compiled by the Lebanese Information and Research Center in Washington, D.C. was used to assess the impact of seven large TM assemblies held at varying distances from Lebanon on events in Lebanon over the years 1983–1985. Box-Jenkins impact analysis assigned a significance of p<.0001 to the TM intervention overall, and p<.01 for each individual assembly.

• Cooperation among antagonists rose by 66% (p<4 x 10^-7).

• War intensity fell 48% (p<3 x 10^-9).

• War fatalities fell 71% (p<5 x 10^-7).

• War injuries fell 68% (p<5 x 10^-7).

International peace project in the Middle East: The effects of the Maharishi Technology of the Unified Field.
Reference: Journal of Conflict Resolution, 32(4), 776–812.
Orme-Johnson, D. W., Alexander, C. N., Davies, J. L., Chandler, H. M., & Larimore, W. E. (1988).

An Israel Maharishi Effect group was established summer 1983. The number of participants varied on a daily basis from a low of 65 to a high of 241. Time series analysis and transfer function analysis are simultaneously used, and results compared, on six variables, and three composite quality of life indicators.

• War intensity dropped 45% (p<.0045)

• War deaths dropped 76% (p<.02) from a mean of 40 deaths per day to 9.7 per day.

• Crime in Israel dropped 12% (p<.0016) from a mean of 608 per day to 535 per day.

• Crime in Jerusalem dropped 8.8% (p<.023) from a mean of 46.7 per day to 42.6 per day.

• Fires dropped 30% (p<.045) from a mean of 8 per day to 5.6 per day.

• Auto accident fatalities fell 34% (p<.024) from a mean of 3.9 per day to 2.5 per day.

• Taken together, quality of life improved by 1.3 standard deviation units in Israel (p<.0001), by .75 in Lebanon (p<.02) and by .94 in Jerusalem (p<.003)

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

This study was a reanalysis, using alternative statistical methods, of the data published in 1988 on an index of war intensity and war deaths in neighboring Lebanon during the period in which an Israel Maharishi Effect group was created in the summer of 1983 (see previous study). The Akaike Information Criterion was used to objectively choose among 14 alternative time series transfer function models, including the one used in the original study.

The findings of the original study of reduction of the war index were replicated in all 14 alternative statistical models. The models that were more suitable according to the Akaike Information Criterion also yielded more significant effects of the TM-Sidhi program group (p < .0001). Also, use of random sequences as alternative or control variables did not have any significant relationship to the war index, as another indication that the original results were not due to chance.

Consciousness as a field: The Transcendental Meditation and TM-Sidhi program and changes in social indicators.
Reference: Journal of Mind and Behavior, 8(1), 67–104.
Dillbeck, M. C., Cavanaugh, K. L., Glenn, T., Orme-Johnson, D. W., & Mittlefehldt, V. (1987).

Time series analysis is used to assess the impact on crime trends of five separate Maharishi Effect interventions around the world. In New Delhi, crime rates dropped. In Puerto Rico, the impact of a group numbering 185 was significant. In the Philippines crime decreased and quality of life rose. In Rhode Island quality of life rose during the study, and continued to improve when many residents began the practice of TM.

• Crime fell 11% in Delhi, India (p<.0001).;

• Crime fell significantly in Puerto Rico as a group was established, and rose after its departure (p<.025).

• Crime fell 12% in the Philippines (p<.005).

• Quality of life rose in the Philippines (p<.025).

• Quality of life rose in Rhode Island (p<.01).

• Quality of life remained higher following the intervention in Rhode Island (p<.01).

Results of the National Demonstration Project to Reduce Violent Crime and Improve Governmental Effectiveness in Washington, D.C. USA.
Reference: Social Indicators Research, 47, 153-201.
Hagelin, J. S., Orme-Johnson, D. W., Rainforth, M., Cavanaugh, K., & Alexander, C. N. (1999).

A Maharishi Effect intervention was created and studied in the US capital. Predictions were lodged in advance with government leaders and newspapers. The research protocol approved by an independent Project Review Board set the experimental period from June 7 to July 30, 1993. Time series analysis was employed in the study.

• Crime fell 23% below the predicted level when the TM-Sidhi group reached its maximum (p<2 x 10^-9 for weekly data).

• Temperature, weekend effects, or previous trends in the data failed to account for changes.

• Public approval of the US president suddenly changed from a negative trend to a positive trend, as predicted (p<.00002).

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

The authors compared all 24 US cities with 1% TM in 1972 to 24 control cities matched for population, college population, and geographical region. Crime rates for 1967 to 1971 served as control period, and 1972 to 1977 as experimental period. 10 demographic factors were included in a bivariate analysis of covariance of crime rate slope and immediate 1973 crime rate decrease.

• Crime rate immediately dropped 14% in Maharishi Effect cities as compared to control cities (p<.01).

• Crime trends in 1% cities remained an average of 3.8% below predicted levels for the following five years.