Better Living Through Brain Chemistry?
JAMA November 17, 1989 DOI: 10.1001/jama.1989.03430190061019 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Commentary Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Intervention | Transcendental meditation |
| Citations | 1 |
| Key points | Argues that a proposed mind/brain science approach to peace faces practical obstacles, and that transcendental meditation by a small group might reduce social conflict in a larger unconnected population; cites a 1983 Jerusalem study reporting an inverse correlation between meditator group size and war deaths, war intensity in Lebanon, and crimes. |
Abstract
To the Editor. — I read with great interest the article by Dr Wagner 1 proposing that peace through mind/brain science may be an idea whose time has come. An obvious stumbling block is that the perpetrators of violence and belligerent behavior may not be available to be treated medically and/or that the numbers of those treated may not be sufficient to change societal trends. Recent data point to a technology that addresses these issues. The hypothesis is that the practice of transcendental meditation by a small group of individuals can decrease social conflict in a much larger population of persons who are not in any contact with the meditators. One study 2 reported the effects of such a group in Jerusalem in 1983. An inverse correlation was shown between the size of the meditating group and war deaths and war intensity in neighboring Lebanon, as well as crimes and