New publication in Frontiers in Psychology…..
A third publication (open access) has recently emerged (December 2020) from the research of my PhD student Ute Thiermann [1]:
Thiermann Ute B., Sheate William R., Vercammen Ans (2020), Practice Matters: Pro-environmental Motivations and Diet-Related Impact Vary With Meditation Experience, Frontiers in Psychology, 11 , 35-77, https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.584353, DOI=10.3389/fpsyg.2020.584353
This study looked at the differences between meditation practice and pro-environmental behaviours among 300 individuals, particularly in relation to diet and meat eating. It reveals that advanced meditators, who reported high levels of connectedness with nature (CWN), subjective happiness and dispositional mindfulness also showed significantly more concern for the environment. They also demonstrated the lowest levels of greenhouse gas emissions, land occupation and water use related to their animal-protein consumption. While the study does not support assumptions of causality, it does show that much can be learned by studying the motivations of advanced meditators for maintaining high levels of pro-environmental behaviour.
The paper is available via the link above, fully open access.
Bill Sheate, 18 January 2021
[1] See previous blog posts:
Blog 17 July 2020 Mindfulness and sustainability: a new research agenda
Blog 22 April 2020 Is there a link between mindfulness and sustainability?