Pagnini and colleagues probed stress in an isolated, confined, extreme space—one that people can’t leave whenever they want—an Antarctic base. They report that “Long-duration missions in isolated, confined, and extreme environments, including Antarctica and upcoming deep-space operations, can be a source of increased stress. . . . crew members from two Antarctic expeditions at the Concordia base were repeatedly assessed over the course of a 12-month mission for stress (Perceived Stress Scale) and mindfulness. . . . Results indicate a strong negative association over time between mindfulness and stress. . . . Mindfulness disposition was negatively associated with stress over time, suggesting that it can play an important role in stress mitigation in isolated and confined environments, including long-duration space missions.”
E. Pagnini, S. Thoolen, N. Smith, A. Van Ombergen, F. Grosso, E. Langer, and D. Phillips. “Mindfulness Disposition As a Protective Factor Against Stress in Antarctica: A Potential Countermeasure for Long-Duration Spaceflight?” Journal of Environmental Psychology, in press, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2024.102254