Does meditation training promote pro-environmental behavior? A cross-sectional comparison and a randomized controlled trial
Kevin M. Riordan, Donal G. Maccoon, B. Barrett, Melissa A. Rosenkranz, Dekila Chungyalpa, Sin U Lam, Richard J. Davidson, Simon B. Goldberg
Journal of Environmental Psychology October 1, 2022 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvp.2022.101900 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Cross-sectional comparison and randomized controlled trial Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 156 |
| Population | Long-term meditators and meditation-naïve adults |
| Interventions | Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction structurally-matched active control |
| Duration | 8-week intervention |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key findings | Eight-week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction training did not significantly improve pro-environmental behavior, environmental attitudes, or sustainable well-being compared to waitlist or active control. |
Abstract
Meditation training may promote pro-environmental behavior and related variables, though limited research has tested this experimentally. We investigated whether short- or long-term meditation training were associated with pro-environmental behavior, environmental attitudes, and sustainable well-being (i.e., well-being per unit consumption). In a cross-sectional comparison, long-term meditators (n=31; mean=9,154 meditation hours) displayed greater environmental attitudes (d=0.63) but not pro-environmental behavior or sustainable well-being compared to meditation-naïve participants (ds=−0.14–0.27). In a randomized controlled trial (n=125), eight-week training in Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction did not significantly improve target variables relative to waitlist or structurally-matched active control (ds=−0.38–0.43). However, relative to waitlist, randomization to either meditation or active control predicted increases in pro-environmental behavior (d=−0.40) and sustainable well-being (d=0.42), although the latter finding was not robust to multiple imputation. While meditation training may promote pro-environmental behavior and its antecedents, the training investigated here does not appear to be uniquely effective.