Associate Professor of Sociology Jaime Kucinskas recently published an essay in The Conversation, a non-profit open source news outlet focused on promoting faculty research. “Meditation can reduce stress – but the pressure to overwork remains” examines the use of meditation to combat workplace stress associated with overwork and burnout.
The article is based on Kucinskas’ research for her 2018 book, The Mindful Elite: Mobilizing Change from the Inside Out, in which she followed the growth of the mindfulness movement during a 35-year span. Publisher Oxford University Press says the book “explores how elite movements can spread and draws larger lessons for other social, cultural, and religious movements across institutions and organizations.” Using more than 100 first-hand accounts from scientists, religious leaders, educators, business people, and investors, Kucinskas shows “how this highly accomplished, affluent group in America transformed meditation into an appealing set of contemplative practices.”
In her article, Kucinskas discussed the continuing use of meditation as a relaxation practice in workplaces such as corporate offices, schools, and law enforcement, and noted that not all of the programs are reaching those who might benefit most.
“Even though some programs may benefit highly stressed-out workers,” she cautioned, “they struggle to bring lessons learned from meditation into competitive work cultures beyond their meditation groups.”
Earlier this fall, an interview with Kucinskas was published on the website of Mid Sweden University, where she is a visiting professor. She discussed her new book, The Loyalty Trap: Conflicting Loyalties of Civil Servants Under Increasing Autocracy, expected to be published in May 2025.
She also talked about the book and her “experiences as an American living in the village of Trångsviken on the eve of the [2024 presidential] election” in two segments broadcast on Sweden’s P4 Radio Sverige.
