Meditation, Not Information? A Survey Experiment Probing the Effects of Meditation Practice on Affective Polarization and Pro-Environmentalism
Lena Ramstetter, Johannes Klackl, Eva Jonas, Gabriele Spilker
Mindfulness February 1, 2025 DOI: 10.1007/s12671-025-02525-8 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Preregistered survey experiment Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 500 |
| Population | US adults surveyed online, including self-identified Republicans and Democrats |
| Interventions | Loving-kindness meditation Mindfulness meditation |
| Duration | 10-minute meditation practice |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key findings | Republicans who completed a short loving-kindness meditation reported significantly lower polarization scores than Republicans who did not meditate, while Democrats who completed a mindfulness meditation showed higher anthropocentrism than Democrats who did not meditate. The authors suggest loving-kindness meditation can reduce polarization among Republicans, but mindfulness cultivating awareness without interpersonal connectedness may unintentionally foster an anthropocentric worldview among Democrats. |
Abstract
Abstract Objectives Climate change is one of the most pressing issues of our time. However, current policies are insufficient to keep climate change at manageable levels. In the United States, this is partly because attitudes and opinions on climate change have become increasingly divided along political party lines, making effective policymaking difficult. The existing literature has focused chiefly on cognitive (i.e., informational) approaches to increasing climate change awareness, which are often counterproductive due to patterns of biased information processing. We examined whether meditation can reduce affective polarization and the partisan divide on climate change.
Method: Using a preregistered survey experiment with 500 US respondents, we investigated whether a short (10-min) meditation practice would render partisans less polarized and more pro-environmental. Participants completed either a mindfulness meditation practice designed to cultivate awareness of thoughts and sensations, a loving-kindness meditation practice designed to cultivate unconditional love and compassion, or no meditation.
Results: Self-identified Republicans who completed the loving-kindness meditation subsequently reported significantly lower polarization scores compared to Republicans who did not meditate. Surprisingly, self-identified Democrats who completed the mindfulness meditation exhibited higher anthropocentrism than Democrats who did not meditate. This suggests that mindfulness meditation may, in some cases, reduce some aspects of pro-environmentalism.
Conclusions: Our results suggest that a short loving-kindness meditation can reduce polarization among Republicans. A form of mindfulness that cultivates awareness of thoughts and sensations but not interpersonal connectedness can have unintended side effects by fostering an anthropocentric worldview among Democrats. Preregistration This study was preregistered (https://osf.io/nza78).
Comparable studies
Other preclinical and animal studies on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Korean meditation music suppressed relapse to methamphetamine in rats. Male Sprague-Dawley rats self-administering methamphetamine | 2019 | Preclinical animal study | |
| Changes in white matter in mice resulting from low-frequency brain stimulation. Mice | 2018 | Preclinical experimental study | |
| Modeling the Effects of Yoga on the Progression of Alzheimer's Disease in a Dish. Cultured basal forebrain cholinergic neurons exposed to oligomeric amyloid beta (OAβI-42) | 2018 | In vitro study | |
| Rhythmic brain stimulation reduces anxiety-related behavior in a mouse model based on meditation training. Mice | 2017 | Randomized controlled trial |
Citations in the library
Cites 30
- How Does Mindfulness Meditation Work? Proposing Mechanisms of Action From a Conceptual and Neural Perspective Perspectives on Psychological Science October 14, 2011
- Mindfulness Interventions Annual Review of Psychology September 30, 2016
- Mind the Hype: A Critical Evaluation and Prescriptive Agenda for Research on Mindfulness and Meditation Perspectives on Psychological Science October 10, 2017
- Loving-kindness meditation increases social connectedness. Emotion October 1, 2008
- Exploring self‐compassion and empathy in the context of mindfulness‐based stress reduction (MBSR) Stress and Health March 15, 2010
and 25 more in the library