Maharishi Effect:
Papers and
Presentations

Citation

Experimental Design

Findings

Test of a field theory of consciousness and social change: Time series analysis of participation in the TM-Sidhi program and reduction of violent death in the U.S.
Reference: Social Indicators Research, 22, 399–418.
Dillbeck, M. C. (1990).

Box-Jenkins autoregressive integrated moving averages analysis and transfer function analysis were used to assess the impact of the MIU TM-Sidhi group on US weekly violent fatalities due to traffic accident, homicide and suicide across the period 1979–1985.

• Violent death decreased 5.5% due to the influence of the TM-Sidhi group. Thus, 63% of the total decrease in violent death is attributable to group TM-Sidhi practice (p<.0001).

• In the model each additional participant in the national TM-Sidhi group reduced annual violent deaths by 3.8 lives.

Test of a field model of consciousness and social change: The Transcendental Meditation and TM-Sidhi program and decreased urban crime.
Reference: The Journal of Mind and Behavior, 9(4), 457–485.
Dillbeck, M. C., Banus, C. B., Polanzi, C., & Landrith III, G. S. (1988).

Study 1: 160 randomly chosen US cities, in 4 different size categories, comprising 26% of US metropolitan population were studied for the impact of level of TM participation during years 1967–1978 on FBI crime statistics using cross-lagged panel analysis to assess causality. By 1976 TM participation in these cities had reached .45%.

Study 2: 80 randomly chosen standard metropolitan areas, comprising 47% of US metropolitan population were studied using multiple regression analysis. By 1976 TM participation in these metropolitan areas had reached .33%.

Study 3: Time series analysis is used to assess the impact of a TM-Sidhi group on D.C. weekly violent crime totals over the period October 1981 to October 1983.

• Causal role of TM participation in decrease of crime rate trends is demonstrated with high order of confidence in a study of 160 randomly chosen US cities (p<.01 for half the years, p<.05 for remaining years).

• Causal role of TM participation in crime rate trends is demonstrated with high order of confidence in a study of 80 randomly chosen large metropolitan areas (p<.01 for each year 1972 on).

• Violent crime drops .295 events per week for each TM-Sidhi participant, or a total reduction of 2,929 violent crimes across the two years for a TM-Sidhi group numbering an average of 321 (p<.001).

• The analysis suggests that 76.6% of the decrease in violent crime in D.C. in years 1981–1983 was attributable to impact of the TM-Sidhi group.

Creating world peace through the collective practice of the Maharishi technology of the Unified Field: Improved U.S.-Soviet Relations.
Reference: Social Science Perspectives Journal, 2(4), 80–94.
Gelderloos, P., Frid, M. J., Goddard, P. H., Xue, X., & Löliger, S. A. (1988).

Time-series assessment of the impact of the MIU TM-Sidhi group on the 347 public comments by President Reagan related to the Soviet Union over the period April 1985 to September 1987. Neutral raters blind to the hypothesis rated content of each item. The joint significant of all impacts together was p<.007.

• Public statements by the US president about the USSR became increasingly positive by an average of 4 points on a 14-point scale (p<.024 at lag 0 weeks, p<.002 at lag 3 weeks).

Improved U.S.-Soviet relations as a function of the number of participants in the collective practice of the TM-Sidhi program.
Reference: Abstract insert in Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science, 96(1), A33.
Gelderloos, P., Frid, M. J., & Xue, X. (1989).

All 478 public statements by the US president about the USSR over the years 1984–1987 were rated on a war-peace scale. Time series analysis of quartile distributions of the number in the MIU TM-Sidhi groups had a significant relationship with the positivity of the president's utterances. These two results together were highly significant at lags 0 and 3 with p<.0007.

• Public statements of the US. President about the USSR and its General Secretary became more positive as the Maharishi Effect group size increased (p<.0019 for lags 3, 5, and 8 weeks together).

• More statements were made about the USSR when numbers were above the second quartile at lag 2 (p<.0087).

The Maharishi Effect: A model for social improvement. Time series analysis of a phase transition to reduced crime in Merseyside metropolitan area.
Reference: Psychology, Crime and Law, 2(3), 165–174.
Hatchard, G. D., Deans, A. J., Cavanaugh, K. L. , & Orme-Johnson, D. W. (1996).

Time series analysis of monthly crime data and coherence group size from 1978 to 1991 shows a phase transition occurred during March 1988 when the group size first exceeded threshold (p<.00006)

• Crime rate fell by 16% in Merseyside, but increased by 20% in the rest of England and Wales by 20%

• Merseyside moved from third highest crime rate of all metropolitan areas, to second lowest crime rate.

• 170,000 fewer crimes were reported in Merseyside than expected over 3-1/2 year period.

• Savings to government are projected at $850 million.

Times series analysis of improved quality of life in Canada: Social change, collective consciousness, and the TM-Sidhi program.
Reference: Psychological Reports, 76, 1171–1193.
Assimakis, P. D. & Dillbeck, M. C. (1995).

The impact of the MIU TM-Sidhi group on Canadian quality of life was assessed from 1983 to 1985 using time series analysis of weekly data (n=156 weeks). For 78 weeks of the 156 the MIU group exceeded threshold.

• Violent death rate fell (p<.001).

• Quality of life improved (p<.0001).

• Influence of the TM-Sidhi group was not linear—an addition of 635 to the group produced a 4.1% reduction in Canadian violent death.