Influence of the Transcendental Meditation Program on State Anxiety

The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of the Transcendental Meditation technique on a psychological measure of anxiety (State-Trait Anxiety Inventory A-State scale). The anxiety scale was initially administered to eight experimental subjects and nine control subjects two days before the experimental subjects began the Transcendental Meditation technique. Six weeks later subjects were requested to carry out a demanding task; immediately thereafter the control group was instructed to sit with eyes closed and the experimental group to meditate for 15 minutes. The anxiety scale was then readministered. Mean anxiety scores for the two groups were not significantly different on the first administration of the test. The reduction in anxiety between the two tests was significantly greater for the meditators than for the nonmeditators (p < .05, t-test). As both groups were exposed to knowledge about the Transcendental Meditation program, but only the experimental group was instructed in the technique, the reduced anxiety in the meditators was due to the experience ofTranscendental Meditation rather than the knowledge about it. We conclude that the Transcendental Meditation technique effectively reduces the anxiety resulting from a demanding and potentially anxiety-provoking task and suggest further investigation for broad applications of TM in reducing anxiety in the complex and demanding situations of modern life.