Abstract
Gayatri Sadhana is an ancient spiritual movement of the Vedas, consisting of meditation, recitation of mantras, breathing, and ritual worship for personality refinement. It has traditionally been known to have psychological benefits, though the amount of empirical scientific research on its impacts remains low. The present research investigates the relationship between two phenomena: the long-term practice of Gayatri Sadhana and the level of happiness and aggression among adult women. In a cross-sectional ex-post facto design, 200 women (100 long-term daily practitioners of 10+ years and 100 non-practitioners) were compared, matched on age, education, and socioeconomic status. The Oxford Happiness Questionnaire (alpha=0.92) and the Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire (alpha=0.89) were used as the primary measures. Secondary measures were salivary cortisol levels at three diurnal points and a heart rate variability test. There was a strong difference between practitioners (M=162.8, SD=8.4) and non-practitioners (M=129.6, SD=10.2), with t=18.47, p=0.001, and d=1.85 respectively. Aggression scores were significantly lower in practitioners (M=64.2, SD=9.1) than non-practitioners (M=94.6, SD=11.5; t=16.82, p<0.001, d=1.68). Practitioners scored lower than non-practitioners across physical aggression, verbal aggression, anger, and hostility. Heart rate variability analysis revealed 35% greater RMSSD and 46% greater high-frequency power in practitioners, reflecting increased parasympathetic tone (p<0.001). There were positive and significant correlations between practice and happiness (r=0.68, p<0.001). Long-term practice of Gayatri Sadhana is also associated with higher levels of psychological well-being, decreased aggressive behavior, and improved neuroendocrine and autonomic function. The large effect sizes and consistency of results across multiple modalities provide initial support for the potential of this traditional practice as an adjunctive intervention in mental health care, though the cross-sectional design and unusually large effect sizes warrant pending longitudinal and randomized controlled research.
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