People who observe the five teaching ofBuddhismmay be more lively to strain and less potential to experiencedepression , allot to the results of a fresh study . An honorable codification of conduct plan to banish suffering and help followers achieve enlightenment , the five precepts may promote inside equanimity and equanimity , which the researcher say could lead to more general genial health benefits .

According to the bailiwick authors , the personality traitneuroticism – which is characterized by a range of mountains of negative emotion include angriness , anxiety and choler – represents a major risk factor for depression , specially during time of stress . “ A clinically significant depressive symptom is usually attributable to an fundamental interaction of the trait of psychoneurosis with a life stressor , ” they say .

On the other hired hand , the investigator explain that the five commandment of Buddhism have been linked to improvement in utilitarian qualities such as “ self - efficaciousness , resiliency [ and ] calmness , ” all of which may protect against mental anguish . They therefore sought to decide how adhesion to these five moral behavior influences the human relationship between neuroticism , stress and imprint .

Specifically , the five principle include refraining from vote out , stealing , intimate actus reus , telling badly - intentioned lies , and using alcoholic beverage . Though some of these may sound easy , bear in mind that the limitation on taking a life sentence enforce as to non - homo , which mean that swatting a mosquito counts as an infringement of the code .

To channel their research , the study authors enrol 644 Thai adults to make out a series of questionnaire , include the Neuroticism Inventory , the Perceived Stress Scale , the Depression Subscale and the   Five - Precept Subscale of the Inner Strength - based Inventory .

Results showed that while observing the five precept did not directly influence the link between neuroticism and impression , it did significantly reduce the likelihood of recrudesce depressive symptoms due to perceived stress .   For example , among participants with low level of adherence to the precepts , every point in time on the perceived stress scale was connect with an increase of 0.273 points on the depression scurf . On the other hand , those with a eminent academic degree of adherence view their slump lots increase by just 0.157 for every point on the stress weighing machine .

“ remark the Five Precepts offers grounds that it buffers the effect of perceived stress on low , ” write the survey author , adding that “ hoi polloi with high levels of watch the Five Precepts are less potential to develop depressive symptom . ”

And while the subject field did not essay to name a cause - effect kinship behind this apparent upshot , the researchers speculate that “ the mechanism of change of observe the Five Precepts may be similar to equanimity . It might be involved in render a calming state of mind and keep , and advance more self - awareness , which would trim back the feeling of stress one is experiencing . ”

Furthermore , despite the fact that 93 percent of participants place as Buddhist , the researchers say that spiritual beliefs may not be a prerequisite for benefiting from the five precepts . In much the same way thatmeditationhas been reframed as “ heedfulness ” in guild to demystify the concept , the writer insist that the five precepts of Buddhism can be presented as a set of behavior rather than spiritual doctrine , thereby rendering the recitation more acceptable to non - Buddhists .

The sketch has been publish in the journalPLOS ONE .