[This is an entry for lsusr's write-like-lsusr competition.]

A new study out of the University of Michigan has confirmed what many people have long suspected: the benefits of meditation do not come from retraining your nervous system to be less reactive, but instead entirely derive from the act of telling people that you meditate.

The lead investigator of the study, Dr. Susan Connor, tested this by strapping brain wave helmets to participants while they meditated. She found no statistical significance between stress levels before and after meditating. What the participants didn’t know, however, was that there was a second part of the study and it began once they finished their meditation session: a “random” passerby (Dr. Connor's assistant) would enter the room and ask for directions to a nearby building on campus, and Dr. Connor would measure with a stopwatch how long it took for the participant to gently inform the passerby that they just meditated.

“We knew that it's virtually impossible for people to refrain from telling others that they meditate,” Dr. Connor admitted. “It's similar to how vegans and cyclists always find a way to mention their identity as early as possible in conversation. So we figured [...]

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First published:
December 22nd, 2025

Source:
https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/pkiv7ehH4HZ4kwfHW/the-benefits-of-meditation-come-from-telling-people-that-you

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Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO.

“The Benefits of Meditation Come From Telling People That You Meditate” by ThirdEyeJoe (cousin of CottonEyedJoe)

LessWrong (30+ Karma)