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Does meditation training promote pro-environmental behavior? A cross-sectional comparison and a randomized controlled
Kevin M Riordan1, Donal G MacCoon2, Bruce Barrett3
1Center for Healthy Minds and Department of Counseling Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, United States.
Journal of Environmental Psychology
|March 27, 2023
Summary
Meditation may influence environmental attitudes, but experimental evidence for promoting pro-environmental behavior and sustainable well-being is limited. Eight-week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction training did not show unique benefits over active control or waitlist.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Psychology
- Mindfulness Studies
- Behavioral Science
Background:
- Limited experimental research exists on meditation's impact on pro-environmental behavior.
- Pro-environmental behavior, environmental attitudes, and sustainable well-being are crucial for ecological sustainability.
- Understanding factors that promote sustainable lifestyles is a key research area.
Purpose of the Study:
- To experimentally investigate the association between meditation training and pro-environmental behavior, environmental attitudes, and sustainable well-being.
- To compare long-term meditators with meditation-naïve individuals.
- To assess the effectiveness of an eight-week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program.
Main Methods:
- Cross-sectional comparison of long-term meditators (n=31) and meditation-naïve participants (n=unknown).
- Randomized controlled trial (RCT) with 125 participants assigned to MBSR, active control, or waitlist.
- Measurement of pro-environmental behavior, environmental attitudes, and sustainable well-being.
Main Results:
- Long-term meditators showed significantly greater environmental attitudes (d=0.63) but not pro-environmental behavior or sustainable well-being compared to controls.
- The eight-week MBSR intervention did not significantly improve target variables compared to waitlist or active control (ds=-0.38–0.43).
- Both meditation and active control groups showed increases in pro-environmental behavior (d=-0.40) and sustainable well-being (d=0.42) relative to waitlist, though the latter was not robust.
Conclusions:
- While meditation may influence pro-environmental attitudes, the investigated training (MBSR) was not uniquely effective in promoting pro-environmental behavior or sustainable well-being.
- The study suggests that general engagement in structured programs, rather than meditation specifically, might contribute to behavioral changes.
- Further research is needed to explore the specific mechanisms and conditions under which meditation can foster pro-environmental outcomes.
Keywords:
attitudesbehaviorclimate changeclinical trialenvironmentmeditationmindfulnessmindfulness-based stress reductionrandomized controlled trialMore Related Videos
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