This study compared 24 cities where 1% of the population had learned the Transcendental Meditation technique, and compared these to control cities chosen by an independent researcher based on their similar demographic variables (number of citizens, number of students, average income, average level of education, etc.). In these 24 studies an earlier study had already noticed a decrease in crime rates, but considering that the prediction was that all negative trends in society would reduce as soon as 1% of the population would start practicing the TM technique, further research was carried out on two other trends, the number of suicides and the number of car accidents. The statistics for both were requested from the relevant government departments and compared over a period of 10 years and 5 years before 1% of the population in the 24 cities had learned the TM technique (in 1972) and 5 years later.

The statistics showed that the trends for 1972 were the same in both the control and 1% cities. During the subsequent 5 years, the control cities followed the same trend of ever increasing numbers, but in the 1% cities the number of car accidents and suicides decreased significantly (p<.001 voor beide).Ref.Scientific Research on Maharishi’s Transcendental Meditation, Collected papers. vol. 4, 317, pp 2479-2486

University students that practiced the Transcendental Meditation technique and the TM Sidhi programme showed a significant improvement in choice response time, in comparison to control students. (p<.0001)Ref.Personality and Individual Differences 12: 1105–1116, 1991

Elderly persons who practice the TM technique showed a faster response in the brain to visual stimuli (shorter latency of P300 response) in comparison to a control group of the same age. This type of brain response normally slows down with age, and this finding therefore shows a reversal of the aging process that occurs through the regular practice of the TM programme.Ref.Psychophysiology 26: S29 (Abstract), 1989

Among 147 long-term TM and TM Sidhi practitioners (meditating 9 years on average), a significant correlation was found between the length of TM practice and higher scores on: visual memory, non-verbal intelligence, creativity, field independence, response speed, sensory speed, and motor speed. The longer that TM and the TM Sidhi techniques were practiced, the higher the score, which indicates that Transcendental Meditation has a positive influence on all these factors.Ref.Scientific Research on Maharishi’s Transcendental Meditation, Collected Papers Vol 3, 257, pp 1954-1966

Military academy cadets that were taught the Transcendental Meditation technique showed improved performance in a speed test on their ability to find a specific reference among a large scale of stimuli.Ref.‘Project for introduction of a programme for prevention of stress—Transcendental Meditation’. Centre for Personnel Studies, Department of Teaching and Research, Ministry of the Army, Brazil