In a single-group observational study published in the Journal of Religion and Health, S. Kotherová with J. Cigán and colleagues showed that one-fifth of their Samadhi meditation participants (first timers) got post-meditation nausea symptoms – this result indicates that meditation can cause adverse effects in some practitioners.
Meditation has been widely promoted as a pathway to wellbeing – but what if it also does the opposite? The authors observed 57 university students with no previous experience in meditation undergo a Samadhi meditation practice and assessed their autonomic system activity and nausea symptoms before, during, and after the practice. They observed that engaging in meditation and increased nausea during meditation were both associated with increased markers of heart-rate variability (HRV) parasympathetic activity, but 12 individuals with markedly higher nausea demonstrated increased HRV markers of sympathetic activity during meditation. The study thus shows the importance of monitoring the potential negative side-effects of meditation, as well as the mechanisms contributing to them.
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10943-024-02024-5
In a new study published in Human Nature, LEVYNA was part of a team lead by A.K. Willard, studying how witchcraft beliefs affect social norms and behaviors. Specifically, researchers investigated whether witchcraft is regarded to be motivated by envy and how this notion influences community interactions. The findings show that, while witchcraft accusations were common, they were mostly directed at persons suspected of acting out of envy.
In an ethnographic survey-based study published in the journal Religions, D. Xygalatas and P. Maňo looked at variation in motivations for ritual practice and how it relates to the socioeconomic status of respondents. The findings indicate that whereas people of lower socioeconomic standing address more immediate concerns related to material security and safety in their ritual practices, people at the other end of the socioeconomic spectrum tend to focus on the fulfillment of spiritual, social, or cultural needs.
