Personality and meditation.
P Williams, A Francis, R Durham
Perceptual and Motor Skills December 1976 DOI: 10.2466/pms.1976.43.3.787 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 66 |
| Population | Male and female practitioners of Transcendental Meditation |
| Intervention | Transcendental Meditation |
| Duration | 6-month period of meditation |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key findings | Male meditators were more introverted and more neurotic than the normal population, and female meditators had a higher mean psychoticism score. Over six months, the 24 men studied became less neurotic, with the reduction related to meditation frequency. |
Abstract
The relationship of psychoticism, extraversion-introversion, and neuroticism to the practice of Transcendental Meditation was studied. Male meditators (n = 39) were more introverted and more neurotic than the normal population, whereas the female meditators (n = 27) had a higher mean psychoticism score. Over a 6-mo. period of meditation, the males (n = 24) became less neurotic; the degree to which they did so was related to the frequency of meditation. The implications of these findings are discussed.
Comparable studies
Other observational and cohort studies on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Using Self-Report Assessment Methods to Explore Facets of Mindfulness Undergraduate students | 2006 | Observational cohort | |
| Effectiveness of a meditation-based stress reduction program in the treatment of anxiety disorders Patients with generalized anxiety disorder or panic disorder with or without agoraphobia | 1992 | Observational cohort | n = 22 |
| Meditation experience is associated with increased cortical thickness Participants with extensive Insight meditation experience and matched controls | 2005 | Observational cohort | n = 20 |
| Meditation experience is associated with differences in default mode network activity and connectivity Experienced meditators and matched meditation-naive controls | 2011 | Observational cohort | |
| Long-term meditators self-induce high-amplitude gamma synchrony during mental practice Long-term Buddhist practitioners and controls | 2004 | Observational cohort |
Citations in the library
Cited by 7
- Insufficient evidence to conclude whether or not Transcendental Meditation decreases blood pressure Journal of Hypertension October 12, 2004
- The Relevance of Meditation to Clinical Practice: An Overview Applied Psychology July 1, 1990
- Brief Mindfulness Meditation Improves Attention in Novices: Evidence From ERPs and Moderation by Neuroticism Frontiers in Human Neuroscience August 6, 2018
- Psychobehavioral Effects of Meditation. Advances in experimental medicine and biology 2018
- The cumulative effects of Transcendental Meditation on cognitive function--a systematic review of randomised controlled trials. Wiener klinische Wochenschrift November 28, 2003
and 2 more in the library