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Oxytocin Release during the Meditation of Altruism and Appreciation (Arigato-Zen)

博之 吉留, Masataka Sunagawa, Toku Takahashi

International Journal of Neurology Research 2018 DOI: 10.17554/j.issn.2313-5611.2018.04.75 (opens in new tab)

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Study at a glance

AI-extracted from the abstract
Characteristics Pre-post intervention study Peer reviewed
Sample size 32
Population 32 participants providing saliva samples before and after Arigato-Zen practice
Topics Buddhism Meditation
Citations 45
Key points Salivary oxytocin levels increased significantly after Arigato-Zen meditation, from 66.3 ± 6.7 pg/ml to 90.6 ± 18.7 pg/mL (M ± SE, n = 32). The authors propose that AZ's voice-vibration and Zen components synergistically stimulate the oxytocin system, and hypothesize that this underlies its effects on altruism, appreciation, and stress adaptation.

Abstract

A number of modern researchers have studied the relationship between religion and health. In every religious tradition, virtues such as self-sacrifice, altruism, and appreciation have been considered quite essential. Arigato-Zen (AZ) (Gratitude Zen) is an easy and simple voice-meditation developed by Dr. Machida, which motivates the feeling of altruism and appreciation. By performing AZ, one is able to cleanse the negative subconscious memories that underlie problematic phenomena. Hypothalamic oxytocin (OT) plays an important role in the ability to form social attachments, including parental care and pair bonding. It has been shown that social interaction is important to adapt to our daily life stress via the OT expression. It is hypothesized that OT is stimulated via the AZ meditation of altruism and appreciation. Using saliva samples, OT levels were measured in 32 participants before and after AZ. Salivary OT levels were significantly increased after AZ from 66.3 ± 6.7 pg/ml to 90.6 ± 18.7 pg/mL (M ± SE, n = 32, p = 0.028). AZ practice is a quite unique type of meditation, which combines voice-vibration system and traditional Zen meditation in order to synergistically stimulate OT system.

Comparable studies

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Study Year Design Participants
Zen Den: A Novel Approach to Promote Well-Being in the Workplace. Nurses at an academic level 1 trauma center in Hawaii 2024 Pre-post intervention study n = 92
Buddhist Meditation and Positive Psychology: Cultivating Happiness, Gratitude, and Life Satisfaction Adult participants from Vietnam aged 18-45 2026 Quasi-experimental (nonrandomized) with wait-list control n = 85
State mindfulness, hope, and ikigai before and after crafting an amulet in a field study at a Zen temple in Kyoto Visitors to a Zen temple in Kyoto who participated in the Yuwai-mamori amulet-making... 2026 Qualitative and single-group pre-post field study n = 426
Buddhist-like opposite diminishing and non-judging during ketamine infusion are associated with antidepressant response: an open-label personalized-dosing study. Patients suffering from depression 2022 Open-label outpatient study n = 11
The Effects of Mindfulness and Buddhist Meditation Coaching on Mental Health Outcomes in College Students. College students enrolled in a meditation course 2022 Observational pre-post study n = 256

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