Research
In 1993, approximately 4,000 meditators in Washington D.C. reduced violent crime by nearly 24% — a result so statistically improbable it sparked decades of debate. Known as the Maharishi Effect, the study remains one of the most provocative findings in consciousness research. We are now coordinating a new large-scale study in Boston modeled after the 1993 initiative, expanded across diverse contemplative traditions. In collaboration with Millions Meditating, Cambridge Zen Center, and Cambridge Transcendental Meditation Center, we seek to rigorously examine whether different meditative systems generate distinct societal effects — or whether a universal phenomenon underlies them all.