Personality Traits and Future Anxiety in Buddhisms: a Study of Adult Tibetan Buddhist Practitioners from Uruguay
Ismael Eduardo Apud Peláez, Victor E. C. Ortuño, Mari Rose Reimondo Silva, Verónica González Revello
International Journal of Latin American Religions December 1, 2022 DOI: 10.1007/s41603-022-00181-7 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Cross-sectional comparison Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 156 |
| Population | Members of three Tibetan Buddhist groups in Uruguay, plus religious and non-religious comparison groups |
| Topics | Buddhism Anxiety |
| Keywords | Personality Religion Future anxiety |
| Citations | 6 |
| Key findings | Tibetan Buddhists scored significantly lower in future anxiety, activity, aggression, and (compared to religious group only) neuroticism. |
Abstract
The impact of spirituality on health, personality and anxiety is a common topic of research in the psychology of religion. For the case of Buddhism, the relation between health and meditation has been extensively studied, while research of Buddhism and personality is not a common topic in the field. The current article aims to analyze whether Tibetan Buddhism, as a particular religious tradition with its forms of believing, bonding, behaving, and belonging, can be characterized by certain personality traits in its members. For this, 52 members from three Tibetan Buddhist groups of Uruguay were recruited and compared with a group of religious subjects ( n = 52) and a group of non-religious people ( n = 52). The Zuckerman-Kuhlman-Aluja Personality Questionnaire Short Form was used to assess personality traits, and The Dark Future Scale was used to measure future anxiety. Results showed significantly lower scores for Buddhists in future anxiety, activity, and aggression when compared to both groups. Besides, Buddhist groups had lower scores in neuroticism when compared to religious group only. These differences could be characteristics of people more likely to be interested in Tibetan Buddhism or similar spiritual paths, but it could also be caused by the synergic combination of Tibetan Buddhism and its four singular dimensions of believing (in the dharma), bonding (through Vajrayana’s meditations), behaving (according to the law of karma), and belonging (to the sangha or Buddhist community).
Comparable studies
Other cross-sectional and survey studies on buddhism, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression, Guilt, and Tibetan Buddhism 98 primarily Tibetan Buddhist meditation practitioners and 438 non-Buddhist,... | 2012 | Cross-sectional comparative study | n = 536 |
| The Mediating Role of Precepts and Meditation on Attachment and Depressive Symptoms in Adolescents. Thai boarding-school students in 10th-12th grade from five schools (two Buddhist, three... | 2023 | Cross-sectional survey with parallel mediation analysis | n = 453 |
| The impact of Zen meditation on security and satisfaction in monogamous relationships Men and women aged 18 or older in monogamous relationships for one year or more | 2011 | Observational study (survey) | n = 405 |
| Synergistic effects of Buddhist five precepts and death contemplation on inner strengths and mental health in elderly Thai meditators. Elderly Thai Buddhist meditators aged 60 and above from temples and meditation centers... | 2025 | Cross-sectional study | n = 332 |
| Death recollection moderates stress-influenced depression in Thai boarding school students. Thai boarding school students aged 15–18 | 2025 | Cross-sectional survey with moderation analysis | n = 440 |
Citations in the library
Cites 6
- Assessment of Mindfulness by Self-Report Assessment September 1, 2004
- Effectiveness of a meditation-based stress reduction program in the treatment of anxiety disorders American Journal of Psychiatry July 1, 1992
- Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Depression: Replication and Exploration of Differential Relapse Prevention Effects. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology 2004
- The Physiology of Meditation and Mystical States of Consciousness Perspectives in biology and medicine March 1, 1976
- From alpha to gamma: electrophysiological correlates of meditation-related states of consciousness. Medical Hypotheses March 12, 2010
and 1 more in the library