The Impact of Gayatri Mantra Chanting on Sustained Attention and Reaction Time in Preadolescents: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Abstract

Background: Sustained attention and rapid information processing are foundational cognitive capacities whose development during preadolescence has lifelong implications. Rigorously controlled trials of Vedic mantra chanting in school‑age children remain scarce. Objective: To determine whether an eight‑week structured Gayatri Mantra chanting programme improves sustained attention, mean reaction time (RT), and RT intraindividual variability (IIV) in preadolescents aged 8–12 years compared with standard school activities.

Method: Parallel‑group, single‑blind RCT (CTRI/2023/12/078432) at three New Delhi schools. 150 participants (M age = 10.3 years) were randomized to the Intervention Group (IG; n=75; 20 min/day, 5 days/week) or Control Group (CG; n=75; standard assembly). Primary outcomes – sustained attention (Test of Variables of Attention [TOVA] d‑prime), RT mean, and RT IIV – were assessed at baseline, Week 4, and Week 8 by blinded evaluators.

Results: 143 participants completed the trial (attrition=4.7%). Repeated‑measures ANOVA showed significant Group×Time interactions for all outcomes (F=61.4–97.6, all p<.001, η²p=0.29– 0.40). Post‑test between‑group effects were large (d=0.95–1.42). Attention gain correlated strongly with faster RT (r=-.73, p<.001). All false‑discovery‑rate (FDR) corrected q‑values <.001. Conclusions: These findings provide proof‑of‑concept evidence that structured Gayatri Mantra chanting was associated with greater improvements in attention and RT than standard activities. Effects were observed in a passive‑control design; attribution specifically to the mantra requires replication with active controls.