#25 Are We Over-Hyping Mindfulness for University Students? | WeAreSTS

Chances are you’ve had something to do with “mindfulness” recently. Maybe you’ve been sent to “mindfulness” training. Or, perhaps you’ve been listening to a mindfulness podcast. Or, perhaps you’re using a “mindfulness” app, such as HeadSpace.

In this episode, Franziska Link investigates the growing use of mindfulness therapies at universities, such as UCL, in their provision for student support and welfare. What good are they? What do they involve? What are the pros – and the cons – of this approach. Franziska interviews four people with quite different relationships to mindfulness therapies. She works to separate the hype from the research.

This episode is part of the STSNewsRoom 2021. Franziska also contributed to STSAlchemy2021.

Additional Sources on Mindfulness

• UCL Student Support and Wellbeing
• UCL self-guided materials on mindfulness
• Ronan Mccoy (2022). Mindfulness. UCL School of Management
• Mindful Society, Student’s Union UCL

UCL Hospital NHS has mindfulness advice

For UCL staff:

• UCL HR has mindfulness advice and training

Featuring

Interviewer and researcher

• Franziska Link, UCL Class of 2023
  https://www.linkedin.com/in/franziska-link-0701b1171

Interviewees

1. Bodhilila Young, Chair of the West London Buddist Centre
   https://westlondonbuddhistcentre.com/teachers/bodhilila/
2. Professor Andrew Steptoe, Professor of Psychology and Head of the Research Department of Behavioural Science and Health
   https://www.ucl.ac.uk/obesity-policy-research-unit/andrew-steptoe
3. Professor Miguel Farias, Associate Professor Experimental Psychology, Coventry University
   https://pureportal.coventry.ac.uk/en/persons/miguel-farias
   https://miguelfarias.co.uk
4. David “Davy” Tennison, doctoral student, UCL Department of Science and Technology Studies (STS)
   https://www.linkedin.com/in/avy-tennison

Host

• Professor Joe Cain, UCL Professor of History and Philosophy of Biology
  https://ucl.ac.uk/sts/cain

Music Credits

“Rollin At 5,” by Kevin McLeod
https://filmmusic.io/song/5000-rollin-at-5

“Ecossaise in E-flat,” by Kevin MacLeod
https://filmmusic.io/song/3700-ecossaise-in-e-flat-woo-86-

Podcast Information

WeAreSTS is a production of the Department of Science and Technology Studies (STS) at University College London (UCL). To find out more, or to leave feedback about the show:

https://ucl.ac.uk/sts/podcast

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