Transcendental Meditation, mindfulness, and longevity: An experimental study with the elderly.
Journal of Personality and Social Psychology January 1, 1989 Charles N. Alexander, Ellen J. Langer, Ronnie I. Newman et al. 297 citations
Practicing the Transcendental Meditation (TM) program may improve cognitive function, mental health, and blood pressure in elderly adults, while also increasing survival rates. In a study of 73 residents of homes for the elderly (average age 81), those randomly assigned to TM showed the greatest improvement in learning, cognitive flexibility, mental health, systolic blood pressure, and ratings of behavior and aging, compared to mindfulness training, relaxation, or no treatment. The mindfulness group improved most on perceived control and word fluency. After three years, survival was 100% for the TM group and 87.5% for mindfulness, versus lower rates in the other groups.