Warming U.S.-Soviet Relations During the Cold War as Measured by U.S. Presidential Statements: Impact of the Group Practice of the Transcendental Meditation-Sidhi Program
Journal of Maharishi Vedic Research Institute January 12, 2019 Paul Gelderloos, Kenneth L. Cavanaugh, Martin J. Frid et al.
An analysis of 478 public statements by U.S. President Ronald Reagan about the U.S.S.R. from 1984 to 1987 found that larger groups practicing the Transcendental Meditation and TM-Sidhi program were associated with more positive and harmonious presidential statements. Time-series analyses showed a significant relationship between the number of participants and weekly average ratings of the statements at lags of 3, 5, and 8 weeks, with positive total impacts when participation exceeded the second and third quartiles. Weekly rating totals also showed significant positive impacts at lags of 0 and 3 weeks. The results support a causal interpretation, suggesting that larger group practice was linked to improved U.S.-Soviet relations as reflected in presidential rhetoric.