Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32At a Glance: The Brain-Based Approach to Peace 1 Behavior is directly linked to brain functioning. 2  Stress impacts the brain. It shuts down the prefrontal cortex (the“higher brain”) and can overstimulate the amygdala (“fear center”), causing fear- driven, aggressive, violent, antisocial behavior. 3  Acute stress on a societal scale similarly impacts the brain and behavior of everyone in society, fueling crime and social violence. 4  Extensive research shows that a simple, evidence-based meditation practice, Transcendental Meditation® (TM®), dramatically reduces individual stress and its deleterious effects on brain and behavior. 5  Twenty-three published studies have also shown that TM practice, and particularly group TM practice, effectively defuses acute societal stress, and markedly reduces associated violence and social conflict—including war and global terrorism. 6  The Global Peace Initiative is dynamically implementing this Brain-Based Approach to Peace on a national and global scale, and is conducting large- scale research on its global effects as well as cutting-edge research on the fundamental physical, neurophysiological, and sociological mechanisms that underlie these global effects. 4 global peace initiative