A COMPARATIVE REVIEW OF CHITTA-VRITTIS (MENTAL FLUCTUATIONS) DURING MARKET VOLATILITY AND YOGIC MEDITATION TECHNIQUES
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Keywords
Chitta-Vrittis, market volatility, Yogic psychology and Samatva
Abstract
Financial market volatility triggers intense psychological stress, presenting as severe mental modifications (Chitta-Vrittis) that lead to catastrophic economic decisions. This comparative review utilizes the structured IMRAD format to systematically analyze the functional intersection between modern behavioral finance and ancient Yogic psychology. During market turbulence, traditional behavioral biases—such as fear of missing out (FOMO), loss aversion, and panic selling—exhibit identical cognitive structures to the five classical Vrittis (mental fluctuations) classified by Patanjali. By synthesizing literature from neuroscience, behavioral economics, and Vedic sciences, this study examines how the activation of the mammalian fear center (amygdala) overrides the rational prefrontal cortex during market drawdowns. We evaluate specific yogic interventions, including Pranayama (breath control), Pratyahara (sensory withdrawal), and Dharana (focused concentration). The data demonstrates that these techniques systematically down-regulate sympathetic nervous system hyperactivity, increase gray matter density in decision-making regions of the brain, and restore cognitive equilibrium (Samatvam). This paper presents a complete, interdisciplinary mapping designed to mitigate emotional trading biases and establish sustainable psychological frameworks for market participants.
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