Exploring the Relationship Between Character Strengths and Meditation: a Cross-Sectional Study Among Long-Term Practitioners of Sahaja Yoga Meditation
Tom Hendriks, Joshua N. Pritikin, Rajeev Choudhary, Chad Danyluck
International Journal of Applied Positive Psychology March 31, 2021 DOI: 10.1007/s41042-021-00052-0 (opens in new tab)
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Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Cross-sectional survey Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 310 |
| Population | Daily practitioners of Sahaja Yoga meditation |
| Intervention | Sahaja Yoga meditation |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Gratitude Strengths and weaknesses Character mathematics Forgiveness Clinical psychology Applied psychology Psychotherapist |
| Citations | 13 |
| Key findings | Practitioners of Sahaja Yoga meditation endorsed seven signature strengths—spirituality, forgiveness, gratitude, self-regulation, teamwork, appreciation of beauty, and hope—compared to non-meditators. |
Abstract
Abstract A growing body of research has associated the practice of meditation with the development of character strengths. Sahaja Yoga (SY) is a spiritual practice designed to help people develop a set of character strengths. The primary goal of the current work is to determine whether practitioners of SY meditation endorse signature strengths. Using the VIA Inventory of Strengths 120, we conducted a survey to measure character strengths among 310 daily practitioners of SY meditation and compared them to a matched sample from the database of the VIA Institute on Character. Practitioners of SY meditation endorsed seven signature strengths, relative to non-meditators: spirituality, forgiveness, gratitude, self-regulation, teamwork, appreciation of beauty, and hope. Findings suggest that the practice of SY meditation may be related to a unique and broad set of character strengths. The findings pave the way for research identifying signature strength development in other group contexts.
Comparable studies
Other cross-sectional and survey studies on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Construct Validity of the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire in Meditating and Nonmeditating Samples Experienced meditators and nonmeditating comparison groups | 2008 | Cross-sectional study | |
| Neural Correlates of Dispositional Mindfulness During Affect Labeling Adult participants | 2007 | Observational cross-sectional | n = 27 |
| Assessing mindfulness in children and adolescents: Development and validation of the Child and Adolescent Mindfulness Measure (CAMM). School-aged children and adolescents | 2011 | Cross-sectional validation study | n = 1,413 |
| Mindfulness and self-compassion as predictors of psychological wellbeing in long-term meditators and matched nonmeditators Experienced meditators and demographically matched nonmeditators | 2012 | Cross-sectional study | n = 152 |
| Mechanisms of Action in the Inverse Relationship Between Mindfulness and Psychological Distress Undergraduates | 2008 | Cross-sectional, correlational |
Citations in the library
Cited by 3
- Where is God? A comparison of the neural correlates of mystical and religious praying bioRxiv Preprint Server February 22, 2026
- A Unifying Framework of Meditation Techniques Mindfulness February 1, 2026
- Monitoring the neural activity associated with praying in Sahaja Yoga meditation. BMC Neuroscience November 13, 2023
Cites 11
- Meditation Programs for Psychological Stress and Well-being JAMA Internal Medicine January 6, 2014
- Mind the Hype: A Critical Evaluation and Prescriptive Agenda for Research on Mindfulness and Meditation Perspectives on Psychological Science October 10, 2017
- Inside the Mindful Mind Current Directions in Psychological Science December 1, 2013
- Short‐term Sahaja Yoga meditation training modulates brain structure and spontaneous activity in the executive control network Brain and Behavior November 28, 2018
- A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of the Effects of Meditation on Empathy, Compassion, and Prosocial Behaviors. Mindfulness June 1, 2018
and 6 more in the library