SCIENCE AND INDIAN PHILOSOPHICAL THOUGHT: INDIAN PHILOSOPHICAL FRAMEWORKS, PSYCHOLOGICAL DIMENSIONS AND NEUROTRANSMITTER CORRELATES — A CONTEMPORARY META-ANALYTIC PERSPECTIVE
Mansi Giridhar Karajgaonkar
Scholarly Research Journal for Humanity Science & English Language May 11, 2026 preprint DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.20121698 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Meta-analysis |
|---|---|
| Interventions | Meditation Yoga Compassion-based interventions |
| Key findings | Across 96 studies, meditation, yoga, and compassion practices were consistently associated with increased GABA, serotonin, dopamine regulation, oxytocin release, and vagal tone, and with reduced cortisol and sympathetic arousal. The authors link these shifts to improved emotional regulation, reduced anxiety and depression, greater resilience, and greater perceived meaning in life, and argue that Indian philosophy can be interpreted as a systematic psychological model of consciousness training. |
Abstract
Indian philosophical traditions-such as Yoga, Samkhya, Vedanta, and Buddhist psychology-present detailed psychological frameworks explaining the nature of consciousness, suffering, self-regulation, and wellbeing. In recent decades, neuroscience and clinical psychology have begun to identify empirical mechanisms that parallel these contemplative insights. The present study integrates textual analysis with quantitative meta-analytic review to examine how philosophical concepts including Dharma (ethical meaning), Karuna (compassion), Sakshi Bhava (witnessing awareness), and Sattva (mental clarity) correspond with neuropsychological processes and neurotransmitter activity. A meta-analysis of 96 peer-reviewed studies published between 2000 and 2024 was conducted, focusing on meditation-, yoga-, and compassion-based interventions. Across studies, contemplative practices were consistently linked with increased gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), serotonin, dopamine regulation, oxytocin release, and vagal tone, alongside reductions in cortisol and sympathetic arousal. These neurobiological shifts were associated with improved emotional regulation, reduced anxiety and depression, enhanced resilience, and greater perceived meaning in life. The analysis suggests that Indian philosophy can be interpreted as a sophisticated psychological model of systematic consciousness training, emphasizing attention stabilisation, ethical orientation, compassion development, and non-attachment to rigid ego identity. Contemporary scientific research increasingly supports these principles at the level of neural networks and neurochemical modulation. The paper argues that human flourishing may be best understood as a multidimensional process involving existential meaning, emotional balance, interpersonal connection, and adaptive brain regulation. The findings have significant implications for psychotherapy, preventive mental health, contemplative education, and interdisciplinary dialogue between science and wisdom traditions.