577: Does Mindfulness Actually Make You Happier (or Better) at Work? | Prof. Lindsey Cameron

Ten Percent Happier with Dan Harris

People have mixed feelings about the popularization of mindfulness and meditation over the last 10 or 15 years with some referring to it as “McMindfulness.”

The critiques can be worthy and the mainstreaming of meditation and mindfulness also have helped millions of people upgrade their lives. One of the many areas where mindfulness and meditation have made inroads of late is the workplace.

All sorts of employers are offering their teams access to meditation via apps or in-person training. But does this stuff actually work? Does it really make you happier at work or better at your job? And what techniques produce which benefits?

Professor Lindsey Cameron is an Assistant Professor at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School of Management. Her research focuses on mindfulness as well as the future of work. She has a 20 year practice, having studied and taught primarily in the Vipassana and non-dual traditions. In her prior career, Professor Cameron spent over a decade in the US intelligence and in diplomatic communities serving the Middle East, Africa, and Europe.

In this episode we talk about:

• What companies mean when they talk about mindfulness at work
• What the mindfulness at work research says and how Prof. Cameron parses the results
• The ways mindfulness helps us counteract our inherent biases and stereotypes
• Which specific practices are most beneficial, depending on the situation
• Prof. Cameron’s tips for integrating small mindfulness moments into our everyday routines
• Where she stands on the whole “McMindfulness” debate
• Prof. Cameron’s research into the gig economy — and how, paradoxically, an Uber worker can feel a sense of autonomy and freedom even though the work is ultimately being dictated by an algorithm

Full Shownotes: https://www.tenpercent.com/podcast-episode/lindsey-cameron-577

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