The Maharishi Effect is a hypothesis proposed by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, the founder of Transcendental Meditation (TM), suggesting that when a small percentage of a population practices TM or its advanced forms (like the TM-Sidhi program), it can lead to measurable improvements in the quality of life for the entire community — including reduced crime rates, increased economic performance, and improved social harmony.
Key Points:
- Threshold Claim: It is often claimed that if just 1% of a population practices TM, or if the square root of 1% practices the advanced TM-Sidhi program together in a group, a positive societal effect can be observed.
- Reported Effects: Research studies (mostly conducted or funded by TM-affiliated organizations) have claimed reductions in crime, conflict, and even war deaths in areas where group meditation was practiced.
- Scientific Debate:
- Supporters cite statistical studies in journals like Journal of Crime and Justice and Social Indicators Research.
- Critics argue these studies suffer from methodological flaws, lack of independent replication, confirmation bias, and uncontrolled variables.
- Mainstream science generally does not accept the Maharishi Effect as a proven phenomenon due to these concerns.
Would you like a summary of some specific studies or a critique from a scientific perspective?
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