Ap­plied Mind­ful­ness and Com­pas­sion

Course content

How can mindfulness and compassion practices contribute to student and employee well-being?

Research shows that mindfulness and compassion practices lead to lower levels of stress, higher life satisfaction and better pro-social behaviors. Research within the field of mindfulness also contributes to marketing theory in the field of consumer psychology and neuromarketing, with implications on industrial and societal level.

Leaders may cultivate mindfulness and compassion to order to cope with the challenges of work and personal life, prevent burnout and be better equipped to empathize with coworkers. Mindful leaders develop attentional skills and emotional regulation, which help them focus on their work and create better relationships.

On the society level, citizens may cultivate mindfulness in order to deal with impulsive consumption behavior. Consumers’ ability to act mindfully might benefit from their practice in many aspects of their live, and especially when short-term rewards are chosen instead of long-term benefits. This can be related to daily decisions (e.g. choosing healthy food) until long-term decisions (financial decisions). In that sense, consumers who practice mindfulness contribute to a healthier and more sustainable society.

The concept of mindfulness has its roots in Buddhist psychology and indicates both a type of meditation practice and a personal characteristic that is developed because of this practice. Yet, there are many other levels of meditation. 

Students in class will become familiarized with different types of practices, their effects and benefits, and the theory and psychological mechanisms behind them.

There are two strains of research concerning mindfulness; one based on Ellen Langer’s work and one based on Kabat-Zin’s practice and research. Students will become acquiented with both streams of research as well as their implications in related concepts such as flow, wisdom, sustainability and creativity.

At the end of this course, students will have developed a personal mindfulness and compassion practice. They will also have the knowledge of the theories behind mindfulness and compassion. Finally, they will plan the application of their practical and theoretical learnings to a real-life case.