Buddhist Precepts Reduce Stress and Buffer Depression: Study

Ethics and morality create a win-win collectively and individually. For society en masse, when large numbers of people live by a moral code, it makes the world safer, kinder, and more just. But ethical actions don't only benefit the masses or improve other people's quality of life; living by a moral code reduces the odds of feeling bad about oneself and has the potential to enhance every do-gooder's overall well-being.

Accumulating evidence suggests that "doing the right thing" fortifies self-control and makes it less likely that a person with moral discipline will be wracked with guilt, heartsick with regret, or dispirited by remorse.

The combination of mental strength and self-control that goes along with striving to practice "right speech" and "right action" in day-to-day life is associated with less neuroticism and lower levels of perceived stress, which may buffer against depression.

Buddhists and Non-Buddhists Can Benefit From the "Five Precepts"

A new study of 644 people living in Thailand found that those who hold themselves to high ethical standards by observing Buddhism's Five Precepts experience much less perceived stress, slightly lower levels of neuroticism, and fewer depressive symptoms. This open-access paper (Wongpakaran et al., 2022) was published on November 30 in the peer-reviewed journal PLoS ONE.

The goal of this study was to identify if observing the Five Precepts of Buddhism was associated with higher or lower levels of neuroticism, perceived stress, and depressive symptoms. Participants were assessed using the Five-Precept Subscale of the Inner Strength-based Inventory (SBI-PP), Neuroticism Inventory (NI), the 10-item Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), and a Depression Subscale.

After analyzing data from over 600 respondents, the researchers found that "people with high levels of observing the Five Precepts are less likely to develop depressive symptoms."

Even if you're not Buddhist or not interested in observing religious ideology, Buddhism's moral virtues, known as Paramitas (Pāramitās) and the Five Precepts (Pañca Sīla), can serve as a secular checklist to "do the right thing."

What Are the Five Precepts of Buddhism?

In Pali, Theravāda Buddhism's sacred language, Pañca means five, and Sīla means moral code. Observing the Five Precepts or Pañca Sīla involves:

1. Not killing any living creature
2. Not stealing or "taking what is not given"
3. Not telling lies and abstaining from divisive speech and gossip
4. Not using intoxicants that cloud clear thinking
5. Abstaining from sexual misconduct or abuse

As Wongpakaran et al. explain, "The observance of precepts (sīla) serves as the preliminary foundation to refine higher virtues development, and the most important step on the spiritual journey."

In addition to the moral discipline and self-control required to observe the Five Precepts, developing higher virtues involves striving for the 10 Paramitas ("perfect virtues") in daily life. These virtues include:

• Generosity (dāna)
• Tolerance and freedom from hatred (khanti)
• Truthfulness (Sacca)
• Loving-kindness and benevolence (metta)
• Equanimity (upekṣā)

Notably, the Five Precepts aren't only embedded in the 10 Paramitas; they're also inherently connected to Buddhism's Noble Eightfold Path to enlightenment which includes:

1. Right mindfulness (Samma sati)
2. Right thought (Samma sankappa)
3. Right speech (Samma vaca)
4. Right action (Samma kammanta)
5. Right understanding (Samma ditthi)
6. Right livelihood (Samma ajiva)
7. Right effort (Samma vayama)
8. Right concentration (Samma samadhi)

According to Wongpakaran et al., "Moral virtue requires a person to have right view, right effort, or right mindfulness for successful observance. This implies that a person who is practicing observing the Five Precepts may have elevated levels of their positive mental strength during such periods."

The researchers speculate that mental strength and self-control are fortified by the daily observance of Buddhism's Five Precepts, which appears to lower perceived stress in ways that buffer against depression.

"Cultivating the observance of the Five Precepts may change the association between neuroticism, perceived stress, and depressive symptoms," the authors conclude. "Our findings suggest that people exhibiting high levels of neuroticism, and high levels of stress, may tend to develop depressive symptoms that may be buffered when obtaining a high level of observing the Five Precepts."

The researchers hypothesize that non-Buddhists can probably benefit from lower levels of perceived stress, less neuroticism, and fewer depressive symptoms by observing any moral code that boosts feelings of self-control. Moving forward, they encourage future research on the association between living by a moral code and mental health outcomes to "study this issue in a non-Buddhist culture."