Mindfulness, spiritual well-being, and sustainable consumer behavior

Abstract

Although there has been considerable research interest in how mindfulness affects consumers’ pro-environmental behaviors, extant research has not fully clarified the underlying mechanisms through which mindfulness is related to sustainable consumption. This study examines mediating effects of spiritual well-being in regard to the relationship between mindfulness and sustainable consumer behavior. Four different types of sustainable consumer behavior are examined: general ethically minded consumer behavior, voluntary simplicity, direct environmental behavior, and support for green products. The study was conducted with 467 French consumers: 208 consumers who have undertaken formal mindfulness training (mindfulness-based stress reduction program) and 259 consumers who have never undertaken any mindfulness training. The findings show that mindfulness is related to sustainable consumer behavior through the personal, communal, and environmental domains of spiritual well-being. However, the links between mindfulness and spiritual (personal, communal, and environmental) well-being are primarily evident only among consumers who have undertaken formal mindfulness training. Thus, this research demonstrates how mindfulness affects sustainable consumer behavior and identifies conditions under which these effects are observed. Policy recommendations in the form of supporting and subsidising mindfulness training programs and other initiatives that enhance spiritual well-being, to facilitate greater sustainable consumer behavior are proposed.