66 • JULY 2019weeks, the violent crime rate goes
down. This has been done all around
the world in cities from Washington
to Jerusalem. Scientists refer to it as a
peace-field effect.
On a personal basis, being in a
positive neurophysiological state of
mind, such as meditation, is very
good for your health. It reduces stress
levels and makes you healthier.
Hopefully the peace-field effect
can help society and the world, by
cancelling out some of the peer-
based aggression which dominates
our planet. Every time I watch the TV
or open a newspaper, I see that it’s
either the end of the world or I’m
under attack from somebody. While
we need to be informed of these
things, they do lead to people feeling
worried and stressed. Hopefully if we
were all in a more peaceful state of
mind, that would radiate around the
world and make it a happier place.
There’s plenty of scientific evidence
to support this.I would put lie detectors (voice-
stress analysers) across the bottom
of all televisions when politicians
are talking. That way, when we
asked them questions, we could see
if they were telling the truth or not.I would find some way of rewarding
kindness. The Dalai Lama said,
“kindness is my religion”, and it’s one
of my favourite quotes. I see
selfishness as one of the big
psychological diseases of the world.
If people were less selfish and more
selfless, the world would be a better
place. Kindness, which is an
important part of being human, is a
great place to start.I would incentivise everyone in the
world to meditate every day. When
there’s a boxing match on TV, the
murder rate goes up. However, when
you get a group of meditators
together in a major city and they
meditate every day over a couple ofHypnotist, behavioural scientist and television
broadcaster Paul McKenna, 55, is also one of
Britain’s most successful authors of self-help
books including I Can Make You ThinIF I RULED THE WORLD
Paul McKenna