Mindfulness and sustainability: correlation or causation?
Sonja M. Geiger, Paul Grossman, Ulf Schrader
Current Opinion in Psychology October 5, 2018 DOI: 10.1016/j.copsyc.2018.09.010 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Review Cross-sectional Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Humans Health status Socioeconomic factors |
| Key findings | Argues that robust evidence that mindfulness-based interventions promote sustainable lifestyles remains rare. Most available data are cross-sectional, showing a small positive relationship between some facets of dispositional mindfulness and diverse consumption behaviors, while a prospective study's null effects blunt claims of direct effects on consumption. The authors contend that indirect effects, including greater subjective well-being and lower materialistic values, justify further research. |
Abstract
Mindfulness-based approaches have been suggested as a potential remedy for an increasingly unsustainable consumption level in early industrialized countries. This article reviews twelve current empiric papers (2005ø2013) on five different potential pathways in which mindfulness is thought to unfold its effects on sustainable behaviors. Unfortunately, robust empiric evidence on the instrumentality of mindfulness-based interventions to promote sustainable lifestyles is still rare. Most of the available data originates from cross-sectional studies evidencing a small, positive relationship between some facets of dispositional mindfulness and diverse consumption behaviors. Null-effects of one prospective study blunt claims on the effectiveness of mindfulness practice to directly change consumption patterns though. Nevertheless, indirect effects including promotion of subjective well-being and decline of materialistic values are encouraging enough to justify future research on the topic. Specific recommendations for such future research are given.
Comparable studies
Other narrative reviews on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mindfulness training as a clinical intervention: A conceptual and empirical review. Clinical populations | 2003 | Review | |
| Mindfulness: Theoretical Foundations and Evidence for its Salutary Effects | 2007 | Review | |
| Mindfulness Interventions | 2016 | Review | |
| Mind the Hype: A Critical Evaluation and Prescriptive Agenda for Research on Mindfulness and Meditation | 2017 | Review | |
| Mindfulness and acceptance: expanding the cognitive-behavioral tradition | 2005 | Review |
Citations in the library
Cited by 15
- The Way Forward in Mindfulness and Sustainability: a Critical Review and Research Agenda Journal of Cognitive Enhancement July 2, 2020
- Mindfulness Training at School: A Way to Engage Adolescents with Sustainable Consumption? Sustainability October 4, 2018
- Mindfulness and Behavioural Insights Journal of Awareness-Based Systems Change November 30, 2022
- Restoration Skills Training in a Natural Setting Compared to Conventional Mindfulness Training: Sustained Advantages at a 6-Month Follow-Up Frontiers in Psychology August 1, 2022
- The positive impact of mindfulness interventions on the explicit and implicit affective attitudes toward vegetarian foods Frontiers in Psychology October 4, 2023
and 10 more in the library
Cites 5
- Mindfulness: A proposed operational definition. Clinical Psychology Science and Practice 2004
- Education for Sustainable Consumption through Mindfulness Training: Development of a Consumption-Specific Intervention Journal of Teacher Education for Sustainability June 16, 2017
- Building mindfulness bottom-up: Meditation in natural settings supports open monitoring and attention restoration. Consciousness and Cognition February 10, 2018
- Mindfulness in sustainability science, practice, and teaching Sustainability Science April 5, 2017
- Mindfulness-based stress reduction and health benefits. A meta-analysis. Journal of Psychosomatic Research July 1, 2004