Beat stress with transcendental meditation
November 17th, 2011 - 5:24 pm ICT by IANSWashington, Nov 17 (IANS) New research shows that transcendental meditation significantly reduces levels of psychological distress among students.
The survey, based on students from 106 secondary schools comprising 87 percent racial and ethnic minorities, showed a 36 percent lowering in overall stress levels, besides easing anxiety and depressive symptoms.
The percentage of students in University of California at Irvine survey reporting good or above-average emotional health dropped from 55.3 percent in 2009 to 51.9 percent in 2010. This marks the lowest level within the past 25 years, the Journal of Instructional Psychology reports.
Charles Elder, who conducted the survey and is also an investigator at Kaiser Permanente Centre for Health Research, said: “It is vital that we start addressing the high levels of emotional stress being reported by high school and college students.”
“Decreased stress can have a positive impact on mental health and can also reduce the risk for hypertension, obesity and diabetes-major risk factors for heart disease,” explained Elder, according to a Maharishi University statement.
“These new findings on reduced stress, along with the recent research on academic achievement gains, hold tremendous promise for public education,” said Sanford Nidich, principal investigator and professor of education at Maharishi University of Management.
Introduced in India in mid-1950s by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, transcendental meditation is a form of mantra meditation.
- Transcendental Meditation 'improves Math and English scores' - Mar 22, 2011
- Transcendental Meditation may help fight depression - Apr 08, 2010
- Transcendental meditation cuts stress, boosts mental health among breast cancer patients - Oct 14, 2009
- Transcendental Meditation helps in depression - Apr 08, 2010
- Meditation improves wellbeing of cancer patients - Oct 14, 2009
- 6-8 hrs' sleep, less stress best natural way to cut flab - Mar 30, 2011
- Sleeping your way to weight loss - Mar 30, 2011
- Shingles vaccine cuts risk by 55 pc: Study - Jan 12, 2011
- Transcendental meditation slashes cardiac risks by 50 percent - Nov 17, 2009
- Teachers who meditate are more compassionate - Mar 29, 2012
- Transcendental Meditation can cut heart attack risk - Nov 17, 2009
- Exercise, helping others can be as effective as drugs to treat mental illnesses - Feb 18, 2011
- Exercise and vitamin D help reduce the risk of falls in seniors - Dec 26, 2010
- Hormone therapy use may increase or decrease dementia risk - Nov 19, 2010
- Transcendental meditation can help cure depression - Apr 09, 2010
Tags: academic achievement, achievement gains, depressive symptoms, emotional health, emotional stress, ethnic minorities, health research, journal of instructional psychology, kaiser permanente, maharishi mahesh yogi, maharishi university, mid 1950s, principal investigator, psychological distress, public education, risk factors for heart disease, secondary schools, stress levels, transcendental meditation, university of california at irvine