Measuring the Effects

To promote broader acceptance and support within the scientific, public policy and philanthropic communities, the Global Peace Initiative is supporting large-scale, independent, rigorous research on the crime-reducing, peace-promoting impact of the group of 9,000 peace creators. Research will commence on the effects within India once the size of the group reaches 3,500 —the square root of 1% of India’s population—the number of participants that theory and empiric evidence has predicted will have a transforming influence. As the group grows, researchers will study the influence in an ever larger geographic area, from India to Asia, and eventually, once the group reaches 9,000, to the whole world.

The predicted outcomes that will be studied include social improvements such as:

• improved international relations
• increased economic growth
• reduced crime, terrorism and armed conflict
• fewer accidents/emergency room admissions
• reduced alcohol and drug abuse
• reduced other established indicators of societal stress

As well, studies will look for evidence of reduced stress in the general population in the vicinity of the peace-creating groups including looking at:

• increased serotonin
• increased alpha EEG coherence
• reduced plasma cortisol (“stress hormone”)
• reduced stress-related illness