Vedic Hypothesis
Decades of research from the brain and behavioral sciences have confirmed this hypothesis, finding that mediation can stably alter human behavior which can be traced back to neuroplastic changes in brain anatomy.
More strikingly, research has found that different forms of meditation can lead to different changes in brain activity. For example, directing attention to the present moment (i.e. mindfulness meditation) can have divergent effects to directing attention to feelings of love and care for others or oneself (i.e. loving-kindness meditation.
The question for organizations is how these mediative practices can be used to improve employee and organizational outcomes. In my own research, I have found benefits of meditation across a number of contexts, whether that is helping individuals reach cooperative agreements (Masters-Waage et al., 2021a), helping employees manage trauma-related consequences of COVID-19 (Zheng, Masters-Waage et al., 2020), or increasing motivation at work (Masters-Waage et al, 2021b).
The frontier of this field is in understanding how to utilize different forms of meditation to help improve the impact of organizations on the world around them and their employees.
Scholars interested in this field are more than welcome to contact me either for discussions about research or access to different meditations that can be used in organizational research.
The Vedic Hypothesis is that individuals through meditation (i.e. attention regulation) can cultivate certain mental states that benefit their human condition. This hypothesis is named after the Vedas as this is the earliest source on the use of meditation dating back to 1,500 BCE.
Relevant Publications
Masters-Waage T. C., Reb J., Tov W., & Bandara U. (2021b) “The State and Longitudinal of a Loving-Kindness Practice on Motivational and Affective States at Work”, Mindfulness
Masters-Waage T. C.*, Nai J.*, Reb J.*, Sim S.*, Tan N., & Narayanan J. (2021a), “Going far together by being here now: Mindfulness increases cooperation in negotiations”, Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 167, 189-205.
Mrazek A. J., Mrazek M. D., Cloughsey J., Holman A., Masters-Waage T. C., Calcagnotto L., & Schooler J. W. (2020), “Familiarity, Attitudes, and Self-Regulatory Challenges Related to Mindfulness”, Mindfulness, 1-8
Masters-Waage, T. C., Peters, E. K., & Reb, J. (2021). Helping organisations excel, one breath at a time: A meditation toolkit for business leaders. Asian Management Insights
Reb, J., & Masters-Waage, T. C., (2020). “The Mindful Emotion Management Framework: A Biopsychological Approach to Mindfulness in the Workplace.” In Cambridge Handbook of Workplace Affect
Kay, A. A., Masters-Waage, T. C., & Skarlicki D. (2019). “Mindfulness at Work.” In Oxford Bibliographies