Research & Publications
Sama Life is grounded in decades of research at the intersection of mindfulness, marketing, consumer behavior, ethics, and contemplative psychology.
Dr. Shalini Bahl’s work spans peer-reviewed academic journals, books, and interdisciplinary scholarship exploring how mindfulness functions not only as awareness - but as a set of skills that support wise action, well-being, and collective responsibility.
This research informs the Sama Life framework, the eight mindfulness skills, and the use of micro-practices for real-world transformation.
Books
Return to Mindfulness: Disrupting Default Habits for Personal Fulfillment, Effective Leadership, and Global Impact
Shalini Bahl
Greenleaf Book Group, 2024
A practical and research-informed exploration of how mindfulness skills help disrupt default habits, align action with values, and support sustainable change at personal, organizational, and societal levels.
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Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles
Here and Now: The Effects of Mindfulness on Habitual Social Media Usage
S. S. Chan, M. van Solt, G. R. Milne, & S. Bahl
Journal of Loss and Trauma, 2025
Expanding Consumer Mindfulness for Collective Sustainable Well-Being
S. Bahl, G. R. Milne, & E. G. Miller
Journal of Consumer Affairs, 2023
An Expanded Mindful Mindset: The Role of Different Skills in Stress Reduction and Life Satisfaction
S. Bahl, G. R. Milne, & K. Swani
Journal of Consumer Affairs, 2023
Social Media & Mindfulness: From the Fear of Missing Out (FOMO) to the Joy of Missing Out (JOMO)
S. S. Chan, M. van Solt, R. Cruz, M. Philip, & S. Bahl
Journal of Consumer Affairs, 2022
Smartphone Addiction and Mindfulness: An Intergenerational Comparison
K. Kim, G. R. Milne, & S. Bahl | International Journal of Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Marketing, 2018
Mindfulness: Its Transformative Potential for Consumer, Societal, and Environmental Well-Being
S. Bahl et al. | Journal of Public Policy & Marketing, 2016, Thomas C. Kinnear Award Best Paper
Mindfulness: A Long-Term Solution for Mindless Eating by College Students
S. Bahl, G. R. Milne, S. M. Ross, & K. Chan
Journal of Public Policy & Marketing, 2013
Talking to Ourselves: A Dialogical Exploration of Consumption Experiences
S. Bahl & G. R. Milne
Journal of Consumer Research, 2010
For the full list of publications, please click here to see my CV.
Book Chapters & Scholarly Contributions
Paradoxes of Teaching Mindfulness in Business
shalini bahl
Editors: Lynette M. Monteiro, Jane F. Compson, and Frank Musten
In Practitioner’s Guide to Ethics and Mindfulness-Based Interventions, Springer, 2017
The Dialogical Consumer Self
shalini bahl
Editors: Ayalla A. Ruvio and Russell W. Belk
In The Routledge Companion to Identity and Consumption, 2013
Mixed Methods in Interpretive Research
bahl & milne
Editor: Russell W. Belk
In Handbook of Qualitative Research Methods in Marketing, Edward Elgar Publishing, 2006
Mixed Methods in Interpretive Research
bahl & milne
Editor: Russell W. Belk
In Handbook of Qualitative Research Methods in Marketing, Edward Elgar Publishing, 2006
The Role of Mindfulness and Subjective Well-Being in College Campuses
Bahl, Milne, Ross, & Swani
Editors: Anjala S. Krishen and Orie Berezan
In Marketing and Humanity, 2019
The Role of Mindfulness and Subjective Well-Being in College Campuses
Bahl, Milne, Ross, & Swani
Editors: Anjala S. Krishen and Orie Berezan
In Marketing and Humanity, 2019
Navigating Inconsistent Consumption Preferences at Multiple Levels of the Dialogical Self
shalini bahl
Editors: Hubert J. M. Hermans and Thorsten Gieser
Cambridge University Press, 2011
Navigating Inconsistent Consumption Preferences at Multiple Levels of the Dialogical Self
shalini bahl
Editors: Hubert J. M. Hermans and Thorsten Gieser
Cambridge University Press, 2011
How This Research Shapes Sama Life
This body of work consistently points to one conclusion:
Mindfulness is most effective when it is taught as a skill-based, ethically grounded practice—not just as attention training or short-term stress reduction.
The Sama Life method integrates
- awareness with wisdom
- personal insight with ethical action
- individual practice with systemic understanding
This research foundation ensures that Sama Life practices support not only calm—but clarity, integrity, and sustainable change.