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Faith

Do You Meditate? Study Claims This Spiritual Practice Might Make You More Liberal

Mar. 14, 2013 10:02am Liz Klimas

Study Finds Those Who Meditate Are More Spiritual and Have More Liberal Leaning Ideas

(Image: Shutterstock.com)

A study recently published in a psychological journal analyzing political affiliations and the difference between being “spiritual” or “religious” found practicing spiritual exercises, like meditation, might cause political ideals to shift.

The study by researchers at the University of Toronto was teased last year but more recently published in the January edition of the journal Social Psychological and Personality Science.

Among many of the observations, the most striking in the study was that immediately after practicing a spiritual exercise participants were found to be more politically liberal.

“There’s great overlap between religious beliefs and political orientations,” study author Jordan Peterson with the university’s department of psychology, said in the press release. “We found that religious individuals tend to be more conservative and spiritual people tend to be more liberal. Inducing a spiritual experience through a guided meditation exercise led both liberals and conservatives to endorse more liberal political attitudes.”

Lead author Jacob Hirsh and his colleagues at the university in three studies analyzed participants political views with relation to whether they were religious or spiritual. According to the university’s press release, the authors found those identifying as religious were more politically conservative, while those who were spiritual aligned as more politically liberal.

The study associated conservatism and religiousness with an importance placed on tradition and liberalism and spirituality with an emphasis on equality and social harmony.

“While religiousness is characterized by devotion to a specific tradition, set of principles, or code of conduct, spirituality is associated with the direct experience of self-transcendence and the feeling that we’re all connected,” Hirsh said in a statement.

As for the study that covered a spiritual exercise, the researchers had some participants watch a meditation video while others did not. All were then asked about their political orientation and to rate their feelings of spirituality. Those who watched the video, compared to those who didn’t, expressed feeling more spiritual. They also favored more liberal political candidates and agreed with what would traditionally be considered more left-leaning ideas, like reduced support for “tough on crime” policies.

“The conservative part of religious belief has played an important role in holding cultures together and establishing common rules. The spiritual part, on the other hand, helps cultures renew themselves by adapting to changing circumstances,” Peterson said in a statement. “Both right and left are necessary; it’s not that either is correct, it’s that the dialogue between them produces the best chance we have at getting the balance right. If people could understand that both sides have an important role to play in society, some of the unnecessary tension might be eliminated.”

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Featured image via Shutterstock.com.

(H/T: Alltop, Science Daily)

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Comments (70)

Calm Voice of Reason
Posted on March 14, 2013 at 12:00pm
There are a number of books that present the compelling argument (Pinker’s “How the Mind Works”, is one off the top of my head) that our conscious narrative mind is not very useful for solving problems. The real computation takes place in areas of the brain not readily accessible by our stream of consciousness. Think about those math problems that people tend to get stuck on. Leaving the problem alone for a while and thinking about something else allows these “deep processors” to work on a solution and most of the time you will find the answer right away. The “inner monolgue” that we all experience every waking moment is useful usually only in a here & now sort of way. Meditation is a means of quieting this “noise” and some people find it useful. Your mileage may vary.

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- brother_ed
  Posted on March 14, 2013 at 1:54pm
  @CALM
  
  Agreed.
  
  In the religious world we attribute this to the Holy Ghost which speaks in a ‘stll, small voice’.
  
  You could argue that religionists attribute an explainable phenomenon to a supernatural source, or that the secularists have corrupted a characteristic of deity.
  
  Report this comment
- JRook
  Posted on March 14, 2013 at 2:56pm
  @brother_ed Tough to argue the second possibility if meditation works for the non believer or individuals of other faiths.
  
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- Swimming-with-the-Sharks
  Posted on March 14, 2013 at 3:34pm
  And the brain’s ability to do this is something that just evolved?
  
  Not in a trillion years.
  
  Report this comment
- brother_ed
  Posted on March 14, 2013 at 3:54pm
  @JROOK
  
  It is my understanding that non-believers and people of other faiths have access to the Holy Ghost – it is not limited solely to Christians. The ‘gift’ of the Holy Ghost, however, is something Christians are promised – that is to say that they are promised the Spirit will always be with them.
  
  It is the Holy Ghost’s job to be a witness to truth; it is the way God communicates to humans. Because of this, all people have some interaction with this member of the God-head.
  
  The Holy Ghost is who leads us to truth and righteousness if we follow His promptings.
  
  Some may call it a ‘conscience’.
  
  However, as the old cartoons remind us, there is another voice trying to disrupt the plans of God. He is subtle and appeals to our human tendencies. This is where those who say simply ‘do what you feel’ err; they listen to the wrong voice.
  
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ktrainer
Posted on March 14, 2013 at 11:17am
So… now being religious is not spiritual? Yet another wedge. As much as the left hates profiling, it amazes me how much of it they do themselves.

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Ghandi was a Republican
Posted on March 14, 2013 at 11:09am
Define “liberal” because where I come from attacking your neighbors ideals is not liberal. It is oppressive. Environmental issues are not liberal. Windmills and solar panels are not liberal. It’s a word game the “liberals” play. Liberals lay claim to feel good things, but they use them as political weapons.
Word play. That’s what this study is leaving out. Predicated on ridiculum ad nauseum

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- UBETHECHANGE
  Posted on March 14, 2013 at 11:19am
  Indeed Ghandi, indeed. Totalitarian is the accurate word for “liberals” “progressives”.
  
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- Mortyscastle
  Posted on March 14, 2013 at 12:07pm
  Very true. They (the media) will try to turn us on each other.
  
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dontmindme
Posted on March 14, 2013 at 11:09am
Is this a similar study that claims married women are more likely to be conservative because they’re sexual suppressed? Blarney! I practice yoga and I know Obama’s nothing bad juju.

Your argument is invalid!

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Alex
Posted on March 14, 2013 at 11:07am
Correlation does not imply causality.

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YourVoiceMatters
Posted on March 14, 2013 at 11:03am
Not if you meditate on the Word of God….i would imagine christians who meditate like the world will be just like the world! christianism is a mental assent….Christianity is a relationship that you grow up into…growth comes by hEARing and hEARing comes by the Word of God….ie studying and meditating as the Word says and how the Word says to meditate….which is completely different than the form pictured….thus there is no comparison…you are applying apples to oranges…As a Christian your eyes hEARt and mind needs to be Word focused to make any difference in your life…DO NOT play in the worlds kitty litter! that sort of worldly meditation opens you up to devils! Then you will live your life (now) with passengers you invited in! As a person you can not deal with alone…only the Word of Truth will make you free and keep you free…there is a way that seems right to man the end of it is destruction (your own that is) Do not be confused worldly meditation is not the same as meditating on God’s Word! The latter takes more effort on your part! ;D

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- NONCENTS
  Posted on March 14, 2013 at 11:20am
  I like to call it PRAYER….but that’s a dirty word in a liberals book. Too offensive.
  
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- NickyLouse
  Posted on March 14, 2013 at 11:38am
  Christian meditation is different because we do not “empty” our minds when we meditate. We meditate on God, His attributes, His laws, His works, and His promises. Transcendental meditation is ridding your mind of thoughts, but we know that is impossible. When you rid yourself of rational thought, demons take over – taking up residence in a nicely swept out house.
  
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- Mortyscastle
  Posted on March 14, 2013 at 12:21pm
  Amen!
  
  Report this comment
UBETHECHANGE
Posted on March 14, 2013 at 10:50am
A good book to read that exposes pantheism new age One World Religion proponents and it’s origins is False Dawn by Lee Penn. Meditation and prayer that is not centered on Jesus Christ and the Word of God is satan/false prophet and wolves in sheep’s clothing lies and deceit that God warns us about.

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TownFather
Posted on March 14, 2013 at 10:49am
The key words in the article are “GUIDED meditation”.

Many of us have entrusted ourselves to the care of a tour guide while on vacation. When one opens up to someone during a guided meditation we can wind up on a very wrong “tour”. We should always travel in life with a discerning spirit.

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american1st
Posted on March 14, 2013 at 10:48am
BS nothing wrong with emptying your mind.. this study is bunk, for one it doesn’t identify the use of the word liberal.. do they mean “classical liberal” in the wanting liberty libertarian/conservative tradition, or being a statest idiot in the modern liberal way? did they take into account the fact that there is a large tradition of leftest nutters who call themselves spiritual but really have their heads up their ass? vs real spirituality? this is a religious right, theocratic hit piece on a harmless and often beneficial practice..

THERE IS NO CAUSATION BETWEEN MEDITATING AND BEING A LEFTEST.

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- NickyLouse
  Posted on March 14, 2013 at 11:45am
  Jesus said, “When an impure spirit comes out of a person, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’ When it arrives, it finds the house unoccupied, swept clean and put in order. Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that person is worse than the first. That is how it will be with this wicked generation.”
  
  You cannot empty your mind. It is a demonic trick.
  
  Report this comment
- american1st
  Posted on March 14, 2013 at 12:16pm
  you should look up “gnostic”…. and yes there are and have been gnostic Christians, the words we let rattle around in our heads are like filters or lenses which color and influence your perception, emptying your mind is a practice that removes those filters and allows a “direct knowledge” …. guess what the you end up having direct knowledge of… god
  
  the only trick demons have is to influence the words in your head, experiencing a state of no thought doesn’t put bad thoughts in your head or open you up to them.. it is an exercise in clearing them, and a way to do battle with them. a noisy mind is a demonic mind, only quiet and prayerful minds are safe…
  
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- NickyLouse
  Posted on March 14, 2013 at 12:38pm
  I do disagree. We must take every thought captive to make it obedient to Christ. Peace.
  
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- american1st
  Posted on March 14, 2013 at 1:17pm
  taking your thoughts and making them captive to…. more thoughts?? (if thoughts can be captive why cant the thoughts that keep thoughts captive be made captive as well? the devil can quote scripture remember)
  it sounds like you are saying that it is OK to think about killing your neighbor, or sleeping with his wife.. as long as you suppress those thoughts by thinking about Jesus after you have them.. it would certainly be better than nothing… but if you can silence those thoughts and keep them from ever returning by experiencing your connecting to god (religion isn’t all brain remember, its heart as well) then they are truly captive ..captive to Christ conciseness not just to more words in your head…
  
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irishgalartist
Posted on March 14, 2013 at 10:46am
I would be interested in seeing the video they watched!

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Cavallo
Posted on March 14, 2013 at 10:45am
What BS. Mostly it is the other way around. People who are liberal think they know what meditation and Asian spiritual wisdom is all about. Liberals and leftists have an aversion towards western republican liberties so seek out far off lands and foreign practices and half @ssed adopt their philosophies without really understanding them. You have the cause and effect reversed. Interesting that they would suggest that spiritualism causes a desire for fascist government oppression.

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bman6481
Posted on March 14, 2013 at 10:44am
Well depending on who or what you meditate on will definitely contribute to your view of life… Politically, socially, spiritually or emotionally.

The power of the mind does shape a person on a physical and metaphysical level… There is an old proverb that states “For as he thinks within himself, so he is.”

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ares338
Posted on March 14, 2013 at 10:40am
I meditate and I am somewhere to the right of Joe McCarthy and Ghengis Khan.

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Blest
Posted on March 14, 2013 at 10:39am
In my university Statistics class, my professor told us on the first day “Statistics has many uses. Statistics also has one fatal flaw: it cannot account for the human will. This isn’t the same thing as accounting for human error.” What he meant was that o matter how good your poll is, no matter how random and widespread your sample size is, some people will CHOOSE not to participate, and will throw off your results.

He later expanded on the idea by giving a humorous story called “The Vow of Silence Survey”. In the story, a young man wanted to poll various nuns and monks in the Catholic church to find out how many take a vow of silence. He asked 1,000 nuns and monks at random, “Are you currently, or have you ever, taken a vow of silence for a period longer than a month?” He found that 100 monks and nuns had taken the vow in the past, 800 had never taken a vow of silence, but not a single person admitted to currently taking a vow of silence. Exactly 100 people declined to take the survey, or didn’t respond. The young man concluded that, because of this, the Vow of Silence was a dying tradition.

In this case, no real Christian will sit down and “meditate” in the fashion described in this article. The only people willing to do it will be people who are not morally against eastern religion and spiritualism. I imagine that no serious Muslim or Jew would either, since the idea of “self-transcendence” is basically the idea of exalting yourself above

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SteelJewel
Posted on March 14, 2013 at 10:32am
I pray to the Lord Jesus Christ, period.

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- bman6481
  Posted on March 14, 2013 at 10:42am
  Well depending on who or what you meditate on will definitely contribute to your view of life… Politically, socially, spiritually or emotionally.
  
  The power of the mind does shape a person on a physical and metaphysical level… There is an old proverb that states “For as he thinks within himself, so he is.”
  
  Report this comment
hi
Posted on March 14, 2013 at 10:30am
The emptying on one’s mind is of the occult. So is yoga.

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Lloyd Drako
Posted on March 14, 2013 at 10:28am
Religion imposes duties. Spirituality unaccompanied by religion mostly just lets you feel good about yourself.

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- NONCENTS
  Posted on March 14, 2013 at 11:23am
  Bingo. Welcome to the progressive left’s bereft, shallow, non-offensive, feelgood spirituality.
  
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- Bullitt2008
  Posted on March 14, 2013 at 11:32am
  You’re right L.D. Free yourself from “religion” and have a personal relationship with the Lord through prayer and reading the scriptures.
  
  The only secular meditation and reflection I involve myself with is when I’m in the bathroom reading my latest car or gun magazines.
  
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civilwarcometh
Posted on March 14, 2013 at 10:23am
You would have to be liberal in the first place to even consider meditating. LMAO….

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darkstorm1087
Posted on March 14, 2013 at 10:22am
This “I’m not religious, I’m spiritual” crap is a way for non-religious people to pretend they aren’t moral relativists.

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jcldwl
Posted on March 14, 2013 at 10:21am
Add your comments

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- Zipit
  Posted on March 14, 2013 at 10:28am
  OK! If this study is correct, avoid medetation like the “Plague”!
  
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walnutportconservative
Posted on March 14, 2013 at 10:20am
Psalm 1
1 Blessed is the one
who does not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take
or sit in the company of mockers,
2 but whose delight is in the law of the Lord,
and who meditates on his law day and night.
3 That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither—
whatever they do prospers.
4 Not so the wicked!
They are like chaff
that the wind blows away.
5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.

6 For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.
Yes I Meditate, and I am a Christian and think conservatively in all ways. Well, I tend to induldge in food too much.

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- trolltrainer
  Posted on March 14, 2013 at 11:06am
  Last night’s sermon was an exopository look at Psalm 1. While meditating on it I found it highly applicable in dealing with some posters on The Blaze. Awesome psalm, and I am not overly fond of Psalms and Proverbs.
  
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- walnutportconservative
  Posted on March 14, 2013 at 12:06pm
  I cut and pasted this, but some time ago, I choose to put this to memory. There is certainly a divide seen in this psalm. I choose to be like the tree beside the waters, and not the chaff.
  Peace
  
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momrules
Posted on March 14, 2013 at 10:20am
I consider myself a very spiritual person. I talk with God a lot, pray a lot and ask for guidance from the Holy Spirit a lot.

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- JGraham III
  Posted on March 14, 2013 at 10:47am
  I’m with you sister!
  
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trolltrainer
Posted on March 14, 2013 at 10:12am
I meditate in the biblical sense, where you read a passage from God’s Word and then contemplate it.

I can see where emptying your mind would lead to liberalism…

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- jcldwl
  Posted on March 14, 2013 at 10:21am
  Of course it leads to liberalism. Liberals worship false gods which are in fact Satan. Meditation is part of false god worshiping therefore you are worshiping Satan whether you know it or not. Satan then gets in your head and you become filled with the perverted thoughts of liberalism. Case closed didn’t even need to spend money on a study.
  
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- RJJinGadsden
  Posted on March 14, 2013 at 10:23am
  TROLLTRAINER, Spot on, and so true. Especially that last line. Have met a number of empty headed libs in my day.
  
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- GetRight
  Posted on March 14, 2013 at 10:39am
  Love it! Exactly. This study is already bias at the getgo. First of all, where did he come up with his definition of spirituality? My definition is a connection with God Almighty, a relationship with Him. Prayer is spiritual meditation. I am both religious and spiritual. I know all kinds of liberals and agnostics who say they are spiritual. This is just a way of saying “I don’t know” “I know there must be a God but I don’t want to commit to one religion or belief system”. It is silly to divide the two. There are plenty of people who are only religious, I call it legalistic, but spirituality and being religious overlap. You can see the bias in this study. He paints conservatives as shallow and rigid and liberals as deep and harmonious. Dumb, biased study where the researcher is just trying to justify what he already thinks.
  
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- brother_ed
  Posted on March 14, 2013 at 10:50am
  @TROLLTRAINER
  
  Well said!
  
  I ‘ponder’ a lot.
  
  I read the feast in the word if God, then I sit for a while and ponder it’s meaning. This utilizes my God given ability to reason and also allows the Holy Ghost to whisper to me.
  
  This quiet time gives that ‘still, small voice’ an opportunity to whisper to me.
  
  Report this comment
- XRavishX
  Posted on March 14, 2013 at 11:05am
  In my case, I’m not particularly religious, nor am I spiritual, based on the given differences of the two stated above. I like to meditate and clear my mind. I find it’s a good way to, kind of, reset things so that my mind is fresh.
  
  However, I don’t consider myself liberal. I have some “liberal” views, but I’d have to say that I am far more conservative. I think the key isn’t my spirituality or religion. I think it has to do with my individual principles. If a person doesn’t follow any principles on how they think they can lead what they think is a decent life, then I believe they’ll be more willing to adopt a lifestyle that more easily embraces not just “good” things, but a whole lot of “bad” things. I say “a whole lot of bad things” because it’s so much easier to do those bad things than it is to do good. It takes a set of principles to not only be able to differentiate between the two, but to also have the strength to do good.
  
  I define liberalism as the ideology where principles take a back seat to feeling comfortable with minimal forethought. Fortunately for religious people, they are taught principles through religion. Others can still learn it, but I would think it would be a bit more difficult since principles means following rules and those without religion tend to make up their own rules.
  
  Also, I don’t think one needs to be spiritual to transcend one’s self nor do I think religion prevents it. All it takes is the ability to question everyth
  
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justangry
Posted on March 14, 2013 at 10:09am
I’d bet the ranch that those that mediate were already liberal, rather than meditation itself turning people liberal. Those who got up and shake it off. Perhaps rub a little dirt on it, were probably conservative before they shook it off.

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- GhostOfJefferson
  Posted on March 14, 2013 at 10:27am
  Exactly. This study is little more than correlation being confused for causation.
  
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Locked
Posted on March 14, 2013 at 10:08am
I call my meditation “prayer.” Socially liberal? Nope. I do feel more at peace after praying to God, though.

That said, the study sounds foolish – the groups studied didn’t even meditate. They watched a video about meditation.

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- kaydeebeau
  Posted on March 14, 2013 at 10:23am
  It depends to whom you are offering your prayers. Most who meditate (in the spiritual humanist sense of the word as opposed to the spiritual theological sense of the word) are focusing their thoughts on themselves rather than having a conversation with God Almighty. Which does explain the tendency (as found in the study) for those who meditate to be liberal / leftist since the god of the left is the Govt or themselves or a celebrity or any other manner of idol instead of Jehovah God.
  
  Since according to God’s word, you cnanot serve two masters and most on the left serve mammon (I even question those on the left who say they are God follwers because of the admonishion concerning to masters since leftist ideals are the antithesis to God’s ideals) it is quite understandable that the left is as it is.
  
  The heart of the wise inclines to the right, but the heart of the fool to the left .”;
  Ecclesiastes 10:2 (NIV)
  
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- GetRight
  Posted on March 14, 2013 at 10:43am
  KAYDEEBEAU, I agree!
  
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