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Fostering collective climate action and leadership : Insights from a pilot experiment involving mindfulness and compassion

Ramstetter, Lena ; Rupprecht, Silke ; Mundaca, Luis LU orcid ; Osika, Walter ; Stenfors, Cecilia U.D. ; Klackl, Johannes and Wamsler, Christine LU orcid (2023) In iScience 26(3).
Abstract

Recent research suggests that mindfulness, compassion, and self-compassion relate to inner transformative qualities/capacities and intermediary factors that can support increased pro-environmental behavior and attitudes across individual, collective, organizational, and system levels. However, current insights focus on the individual level, are restricted to certain sustainability fields, and wider experimental evidence is scarce and contradictory. Our pilot study addresses this gap and tests the aforementioned proposition in the context of an intervention: an EU Climate Leadership Program for high-level decision-makers. The intervention was found to have significant effects on transformative qualities/capacities, intermediary factors,... (More)

Recent research suggests that mindfulness, compassion, and self-compassion relate to inner transformative qualities/capacities and intermediary factors that can support increased pro-environmental behavior and attitudes across individual, collective, organizational, and system levels. However, current insights focus on the individual level, are restricted to certain sustainability fields, and wider experimental evidence is scarce and contradictory. Our pilot study addresses this gap and tests the aforementioned proposition in the context of an intervention: an EU Climate Leadership Program for high-level decision-makers. The intervention was found to have significant effects on transformative qualities/capacities, intermediary factors, and pro-environmental behaviors and engagement across all levels. The picture is, however, more complex for pro-environmental attitudes. With due limitations (e.g., small sample size), this preliminary evidence confirms the feasibility and potential of mindfulness- and compassion-based interventions to foster inner-outer transformation for sustainability and climate action. Aspects that should be taken into account in larger confirmatory trials are discussed.

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Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
; ; ; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Global change, Interdisciplinary application studies, Nature conservation, Psychology, inner development goals, nature connection, mindfulness, climate leadership, mindsets, paradigms
in
iScience
volume
26
issue
3
article number
106191
publisher
Elsevier
external identifiers
  • pmid:36994186
  • scopus:85150039222
ISSN
2589-0042
DOI
10.1016/j.isci.2023.106191
project
Agents of Change - Mind, cognitive bias and decision-making in a context of social and climate change
The Contemplative Sustainable Futures Program
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
a219153d-c383-4c03-afca-0fffdc3699d7
date added to LUP
2023-03-24 08:46:07
date last changed
2026-04-19 00:56:07
@article{a219153d-c383-4c03-afca-0fffdc3699d7,
  abstract     = {{<p>Recent research suggests that mindfulness, compassion, and self-compassion relate to inner transformative qualities/capacities and intermediary factors that can support increased pro-environmental behavior and attitudes across individual, collective, organizational, and system levels. However, current insights focus on the individual level, are restricted to certain sustainability fields, and wider experimental evidence is scarce and contradictory. Our pilot study addresses this gap and tests the aforementioned proposition in the context of an intervention: an EU Climate Leadership Program for high-level decision-makers. The intervention was found to have significant effects on transformative qualities/capacities, intermediary factors, and pro-environmental behaviors and engagement across all levels. The picture is, however, more complex for pro-environmental attitudes. With due limitations (e.g., small sample size), this preliminary evidence confirms the feasibility and potential of mindfulness- and compassion-based interventions to foster inner-outer transformation for sustainability and climate action. Aspects that should be taken into account in larger confirmatory trials are discussed.</p>}},
  author       = {{Ramstetter, Lena and Rupprecht, Silke and Mundaca, Luis and Osika, Walter and Stenfors, Cecilia U.D. and Klackl, Johannes and Wamsler, Christine}},
  issn         = {{2589-0042}},
  keywords     = {{Global change; Interdisciplinary application studies; Nature conservation; Psychology; inner development goals; nature connection; mindfulness; climate leadership; mindsets; paradigms}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{03}},
  number       = {{3}},
  publisher    = {{Elsevier}},
  series       = {{iScience}},
  title        = {{Fostering collective climate action and leadership : Insights from a pilot experiment involving mindfulness and compassion}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.isci.2023.106191}},
  doi          = {{10.1016/j.isci.2023.106191}},
  volume       = {{26}},
  year         = {{2023}},
}