Meditation induces liberal political attitude

Jordan Peterson is in on this study. "Inducing a spiritual experience through a guided meditation exercise led both liberals and conservatives to endorse more liberal political attitudes." More:

"The researchers confirmed that religiousness was associated with political conservatism, while spirituality was associated with political liberalism. These associations were in turn due to the common values underlying these orientations: conservatism and religiousness both emphasize the importance of tradition, while liberalism and spirituality both emphasize the importance of equality and social harmony."

"Spiritual experiences seem to make people feel more of a connection with others. The boundaries we normally maintain between ourselves and the world tend to dissolve during spiritual experiences. These feelings of self-transcendence make it easier to recognize that we are all part of the same system, promoting an inclusive and egalitarian mindset."

Peterson maintains that both religion and spirituality are necessary, the former forming cohesive social bonding, the latter opening us to renewal and change. But what Peterson doesn't say is what is emphasized in the article itself: That meditation opens us to a wider, more inclusive equality and social harmony. And that traditional, fundamental religion remains fixated on only caring for those that are within its limited religious tradition. That mediation opened the religious to a wider embrace of social harmony is indicative of that key difference.