Motivation and emotion/Book/2024/Nature connection and emotional well-being

Nature connection and emotional well-being:
How does connecting with nature influence emotional well-being?

Overview

Scenario

Figure 1. A natural forest environment.

Imagine you are sitting in a forest surrounded by green tall trees, with sunlight peaking through to shine on you and warm your face. You hear the sounds of leaves rustling in the wind and the faint whooshing as it rushes past you. The scent of pine and wood refreshes you as you take deep slow breaths. As you are connecting to your senses and the natural environment around you, what emotions are present? Do you feel peaceful, or maybe happiness and gratitude?

The theories of stress reduction, attention restoration and arousal may help explain the calming effects felt in this environment. The greater capacity of mental resources and absence of fast-moving stimuli are easing the stressors of urban life.

Humans and nature have a symbiotic relationship, similar to a clownfish and a sea anemone that protects each other in the ocean. From a biological perspective, connectedness to nature is an innate affiliation to other living things that has continued through evolution. This inclination is one way of understanding why nature and human life are better when connected. Another way is by looking into its relation to stress reduction. It is no secret that nature has a calming effect on the mind, and it goes much deeper than that. Moreover, people feel a variety of emotions, such as belonging, purpose and wonder, when they tap into this bond with nature. Attentional restoration is another theoretical view that relates to nature connection (NC), as we use up cognitive resources on demanding stimuli, mental fatigue ensues. Natural environments are a fascinating getaway which may revitalise our mental state and relieve stress.

Figure 2. City representing the lack of nature in an urban environment.

Nonetheless, disconnection has become prevalent in the modern world due to urbanisation (see Figure 2). Psychological research indicates that connecting with nature may benefit mental health and emotional well-being. When people are exposed to urban green space, there is an increase in positive feelings and a decrease in mental distress (Nisbet et al., 2011). The escalating prevalence of mental illness brings about the need to understand pathways to emotional well-being through the human-nature relationship. According to the (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2023) of those aged 16-85 years old, 42.9% had experienced a mental disorder at some point in their life and 2.6 million people had a 12-month disorder between 2020-2022. Incorporating NC into daily events that are already beneficial, such as exercise and socialising, may boost this valuable relationship. Take note of how viewing a natural environment (see figure 1) compared to how seeing a cityscape (see figure 2) makes you feel emotionally. This chapter divulges the beneficial impact of this phenomenon and how it is applied to people's lives.

Focus questions

[Use bullet points or numbered list per Tutorial 02]

1.What do the terms nature connection and emotional well-being mean?

2. Why does nature connection positively impact emotional well-being?

3. What are the mechanisms of the nature and emotional well-being relationship?

4.How can connection to nature be applied to people’s lives?

Understanding nature connection and emotional well-being

Nature was assigned a broad definition by (Bratman et al., 2012, p120) as "areas containing elements of living systems that include plants and nonhuman animals across a range of scales and degrees of human management, from a small urban park through to relatively "pristine wilderness," (see figure 3).

Strengthening the human-nature relationship may increase emotional well-being through intentional experiences. A study by (Ballew & Omoto, 2018) aimed to discover the mechanisms responsible for increased positive emotions in nature, including happiness, joy, and feelings of awe. It was found that not merely being exposed to nature but feeling connected to nature may amplify positive effects. Feeling absorbed and involved in natural features mediated this relationship. Moreover, being engrossed in natural environments compared to human-built ones was associated with increased positive emotions. Further, (Pasanen et al., 2018) posit that multiple mechanisms or motives impact the depth of the human-nature relationship. This includes physical activity, social interaction, and stress alleviation. Notably, vitality, meaning "feeling alive," is known as an energy to approach life positively, which may be reaped through natural environment exposure. Thus, repeated positive experiences offer a plausible explanation for exposure to green environments linked to longer-term subjective well-being, such as life satisfaction. Motives or the reasoning behind why one chooses to access nature may be insightful into why some experiences are more restorative than others.

Figure 3. A natural wilderness setting

Additionally, attentional focus highlights the individual's ability to modify their experience, as one is not seen as a passive recipient of the environment. This research is based on the new look of perception theory[factual?], which states that perception depends on internal processing, guiding goal pursuit and behaviour. The current study[factual?] uncovered that the motive of stress reduction related to more substantial restoration and post-positive mental states. The conscious effort one puts in may benefit emotional results. Physical fitness motives and social affirmation through self-focus or gaining perspective of self indicated a positive outcome. Finally, the motive of experiencing nature was positively associated with emotional well-being through an attentional focus on the environment. Choosing to attend to this aspect over the activity, others, or oneself for goal achievement proved beneficial. Purposeful experience in nature, thus may strengthen connection and improved emotional states.

Furthermore, the kind of access to nature necessary to build connections and influence emotional well-being was reported in a meta-analysis by (McMahan & Estes, 2015). Firstly, real nature exposures were studied to have more significant positive impacts on affect compared to laboratory simulations of nature. However, virtual experiences still generated a substantial increase in positive feelings. This indicates that simulated nature is a viable option for people with restricted access to natural areas, such as major urban city residents or those with functional limitations. Secondly, managed versus wild natural environments produced similar, positive effects on emotional well-being. Designed nature settings that people find restorative, aesthetically pleasing and mimic wild characteristics may benefit urbanised cities.

Table 1

Differentiating well-being terminology

Well-being
Emotional	Experience of positive versus negative feelings or affective states such as happiness (Nghiem et al., 2021)
Subjective	Life experiences, considering cognition and sense of happiness and evaluating life based on moods and emotions (Kingsley et al., 2013).
Eudaimonic	Optimal psychological functioning, self-realisation, and the feeling that one is living a purposeful, fulfilling life (Cleary et al., 2017)

Biophilia hypothesis

Biophilia contains two Greek words: bio, which means life, and philia, which means friendship or love. Biophilia, therefore, represents a love for life, which has now been conceptualised as a genetic and psychological orientation, the latter being dependent on honing a biophilic personality. This theory describes the innate biological drive to affiliate with nature (Wilson., 1984 as cited in Lencastre et al., 2024). Due to evolution, whereby humans relied on natural resources to survive, the desire to be close and emotionally connected to nature developed. Feelings of wonder, awe, and reverence for nature that elicit love for life grew from this unconscious emotional bond (Lumber et al., 2017).

The biophilia hypothesis may be employed to deepen the human-nature connection and maximise emotional well-being. To inform biophilic design, (Gaekwad et al., 2022) reviewed 49 studies delving into the emotional dimension. The results support the biophilia hypothesis as the effects of the environment were medium to large in both increasing positive and decreasing negative affect. However, alternative theories that may lead to affirmative results must be considered, indicating a limitation of a narrow scope. A key finding that contributed to positive affect was the level of immersion. In completely natural compared to simulated virtual environments, full sensory connection and, subsequently, higher positive affect may be achieved. These results further inform biophilic design or incorporating natural elements into human-built anthropogenic environments. The level of immersion may be amplified to improve positive emotional states, particularly in highly urban spaces.

Attending a wilderness camp

Addressing nature deficit disorder coined by journalist and author Louv who argues that young people are experiencing decreased contact with nature. The solution appears straight-forward: get immersed in nature. (Warber et al., 2015)

Holistic health benefits

Higher levels of relaxation, lower perceived stress, improved emotional states and spiritual well-being

Qualitative finding

Provided a space for human-human interaction, allowing friendship to grow, sense of community and belonging.

Emotional implications

Positive affect increased and negative affect decreased.

Stress reduction theory

By harming or ameliorating coping resources, the environment may influence stress. Being present in an unthreatening natural environment resembling those that provided resources for survival throughout humanity’s evolution may decrease stress (Ulrich et al., 1991 as cited in McMahan & Estes, 2015). SRT is depicted as an unconscious automatic response to natural places, including water, expansive views, and vegetation. Increased positive affect and, decreased physiological arousal and negative affect are derived from this phenomenon. Stress is a condition induced by person-environment transactions (Berto, 2014). These lead to an individual perceiving a discrepancy between situational demands and their biopsychosocial resources. This understanding is pivotal in environmental psychology, where environmental conditions may operate as a stressor, overwhelming one’s capacities, or as a coping strategy that re-establishes the balance. Arousal levels and negative affect are underlying mechanisms of SRT. According to arousal theories, recuperation from excessive arousal may manifest faster in environments with low arousal levels. Natural settings generally possess these features compared to urban environments which exhibit intensity, complexity, and movement. Thus, nature spaces are hypothesised to have restorative effects on stress.

Figure 4. Artistic representation of mindfulness linking to filling one's mind with nature and feeling positive emotion.

Restorative environments are natural places that lead to a renewal of one’s adaptive resources needed to conquer daily life demands. When viewing urban spaces with trees rather than inanimate objects, there are reportedly heightened positive emotions such as friendliness and lessened negative emotions such as sadness. Contrastingly, viewing settings that lack nature may produce emotions of anxiety, anger, frustration, and sadness. As a result of urbanisation, people’s homes are further removed from nature and green space. This potentially increases vulnerability to stressful life events and environmental stressors. Accessibility to parks or forest-like places is related to higher happiness, mood and concentration, alongside decreased stress, depression, anger, and tension. Thus, SRT explains why the human need for restoration must be acknowledged (Berto, 2014). In conjunction with nature, the well-being intervention of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) was investigated by (Choe et al., 2020). Mindfulness involves focusing on the present moment without judgment or labelling. This leads to acceptance of experience and betterment in emotional balance and psychological well-being (see figure 4). Findings conveyed that MBSR when delivered in a natural outdoor setting, enhances mental health and well-being outcomes. Participants in this environment, compared to an indoor one, sustained improvements one month after the intervention. Positive changes in emotional states, occurring in nature are crucial to psycho-physiological stress recovery.

View through a Window May Influence Recovery from Surgery

Positive emotional states were brought about while viewing nature elements out of a hospital window. Patients who undergo surgery may experience significant anxiety and spend long periods of time confined to a building or single room. Participants with a tree-filled window view and not a brick wall, had a more favourable recovery (Ulrich., 1984).

Determined by decreased post-operative stays and complications, fewer negative comments from nurse’s notes and less pain-relief medication intake.

Attention restoration theory

Attention Restoration Theory (ART) outlines the voluntary directed attention one expends while maintaining focus and inhibiting distractions (Kaplan, 1995). Modern humans more frequently must exert effort to take action on important tasks while resisting interesting distractions. Prolonged mental effort is linked to mental fatigue. For instance, students experiencing burnout at the end of a semester focused on their studies may zone out often, sustain negative emotions and commit performance errors. Irritability arises when a person cannot draw on directed attention and they are less likely to be willing to help others. Natural environments mitigate and prevent stress through recovery of directed attention.

ART prescribes conditions that promote recovery from mental fatigue in restorative environments. Being away is the act of distancing oneself from usual activities, which contributes to fatigue. Extent alludes to the richness of content, and coherence of structure in an environment. Sufficient differences and stimuli to engage the mind are necessary. Fascination is described as involuntary attention, or ignorance of competing stimuli. This enables rest and restoration of directed attention capacity. Soft fascination comprises moderate intensity, with aesthetic stimuli and reflective opportunity, whereas hard fascination steals one’s attention. Compatibility occurs when the demands and information of a setting fit with individual goal achievement (Felsten, 2009). Exemplifying this, (Morano., 2019) conducted a study on ART in a medium-security prison to offer a basis for practical use. Nature images and green space enabled incarcerated individuals to find peace and calmness. Regarding being away, most agreed this provided a break from routine, feeling connected to the outside and inspired new thoughts. Fascination garnered the most agreement, with feelings of interest and wanting to look for longer. Green spaces also delivered positive outcomes, with two-thirds agreeing they were like areas outside of prison, reminding them of changing seasons and producing a higher sense of normality due to familiarity with urban green spaces compared to wild depictions in images. Compatibility or scope may be a challenge as environments must meet the individual needs of all group members. Nevertheless, the significant advantage of nature in clearing mental fatigue is explained by ART and may be applied to real world settings.

Strengthening nature connection and positive emotion

Conclusion

The psychological literature on NC provides a broad research scope and a solid theoretical basis. NC has been studied to positively impact emotional well-being, involving affect, basic and complex feelings, and psychological functioning. Although genuine, in-person NC reaped higher rewards, virtual nature simulations also increased emotional well-being. Spaces mimicking wild versus manicured nature conveyed better outcomes. Nevertheless, the subjectivity of an individual’s worldview and early life impacted the depth of connection, as represented by incarcerated individuals who found urban nature familiar and emotionally favourable. Motivation plays an important role, as one’s unique motives and attentional focus on aspects such as self, others, activity, or environment dictated personal goal fulfilment and level of restoration in nature. Intentional, deepened connectedness and absorption toward the environment, increases emotional well-being.

A major theory underpinning NC is the biophilia hypothesis, translating to a love of life. It offers a biological explanation that states humans have an innate tendency to affiliate with nature as it allowed the species to survive throughout evolution. Tapping into that genetically endowed predisposition to NC elucidates positive emotional outcomes, further benefitting from increased sensory and immersive experiences. The theories of ART and SRT provide support for the reduction of mental fatigue and physiological stress by utilising NC and are associated with heightened positive emotion. Therefore, NC being linked to emotional well-being maintains a strong theoretical background.

Urbanisation plays a destructive role in the human-nature and well-being alliance. Arousal theories relating to SRT involve viewing nature, which features low-arousal aspects and facilitates a calming effect compared to fast-paced, busy urban environments containing stressors. The theoretical perspectives of SDT and value orientation were discussed as mediators to the eudaimonic well-being and NC relationship. Aligning with positive, aspirational values and fulfilling the basic need of relatedness through nature contact produced greater happiness stemming from maximised psychological functioning. Mere exposure to nature has been researched to boost positive and reduce negative affect. Thus, it is not simply being connected to something but nature itself that appeases the human mind. Suggestions for practical applications of the knowledge gathered in this chapter detail the necessity of urban green space. Urbanisation and coinciding mental health detriment may be combatted with NC via accessible parks and community gardens. Cultural and historical considerations made by urban planners may allow successful outcomes. Therapeutic involvement of nature may improve mental health treatment through mindfulness and sustained administration to densely populated areas.

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External links

Ecopsychology: how immersion in nature benefits your health (Yale environment 360)
Nature: How connecting with nature benefits our mental health (Mental health foundation)
Time in nature is good for our mental health … but what about artificial nature? (ABC health & wellbeing)