Disputing popular claims that meditation can change how people behave towards others and make them more compassionate, new research suggests this is not the case. Meditation plays no significant role in reducing aggression or prejudice or improving how socially-connected someone is, said the study published in the journal Scientific Reports.

"The popularisation of meditation techniques, like mindfulness, despite being taught without religious beliefs, still seem to offer the hope of a better self and a better world to many," said Miguel Farias from Coventry University in England.