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This study addresses the relationship between visitors' connectedness to nature, environmental knowledge, mindfulness and mindlessness with pro-environmental behaviour (PEB) and willingness to pay (WTP) for biodiversity conservation. This study aims to investigate the pro-environmental behaviour of visitors to the Raptor Watch weekend at Tanjung Tuan. This study also intends to determine the visitors' willingness to pay (WTP) towards biodiversity conservation of ecosites. Convenience sampling technique was used to distribute the questionnaire. The descriptive statistics and cross tabulation data from 172 respondents or visitors to the event were analysed using SPSS. The analysis demonstrate that connectedness to nature, environmental knowledge, and mindfulness are key drivers of pro-environmental behaviour among the visitors, based on mean values. This suggests that visitors concur on these three factors. A close examination further revealed that connectedness to nature resulted in the overall highest mean value. Additionally, 68.6% of the respondents agree to contribute towards conservation of the recreational forest sites, with the mean WTP value of RM28.73 from this study. However, among those who were less willing to pay, the barriers to contributing are primarily due to financial constraints, as 36% of the visitors were students. This study offers important insights regarding the need to encourage environmental behaviour and environmental management among visitors to enhance natural experiences of ecotourism to increase their willingness to pay. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Socijalna Ekologija is the property of Croatian Sociological Association and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

While crowdsourcing applications that can support decision-making are increasing in volume, citizen science practice in Greece is in its early stages. The article presents the design of a BioBlitz that took place in the Ioannina Castle and aims to complement the natural and cultural heritage assessment of the specific site through the participation of 116 citizens and university students. The iNaturalist mobile application and online social network were used as basic tools for recording biodiversity and assisting in the identification process. Before the activity, participants received basic training through an open course in Science Education offered by the School of Early Childhood Education at the University of Ioannina. Additionally, participants completed prequestionnaire of the Connectedness to Nature Scale (CNS). The results revealed that more than 26% of almost 1,000 observations received a ResearchGrade, while 207 species were recorded, engaging 191 identifiers. The analysis of both the pre-questionnaires and the post-questionnaires that were collected a week after the BioBlitz, showing a statistically significant positive shift in the levels of CNS. However, low intensity and small scale of the activity should be considered, and multiple interventions or long-time programs could supply more robust findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Ri-vista: Ricerche per la progettazione del paesaggio is the property of Firenze University Press and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Both altruistic and ecological behaviours are considered prosocially driven behaviours, but our understanding of what motivates action in either the human or ecological domain is still in its infancy. Our goal was to assess connection to nature, connection to people, and connection to country as mediators of the relationship between prosocial propensity and prosocial behaviours in both the ecological and human domains. This study used honesty-humility as an indicator of prosocial propensity. Data for the study were collected through online surveys in Spanish. The survey was answered by 438 adolescent participants aged 11–19 years. The present study demonstrates that personal prosocial propensity can be directed to a particular domain of prosocial behaviour (ecological or altruistic) through the individual's connection to the relevant domain. Specifically, the effect of prosocial propensity on ecological behaviour was positively mediated by connection to people and connection to nature, but negatively mediated by connection to country. For altruistic behaviour, the effect of prosocial propensity was positive via connection to people, nature, and country. Future research is called for, in particular, to examine the role of connection to country in ecological behaviour. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Well‐being is transversal to different urban‐related challenges such as increasing urbanization or adaptation to the effects of climate change. One possible response to these challenges is the use of nature in cities. The aim of this study is to investigate how the objective quantity of natural space near the home, the perception of these natural elements, and their perceived availability, moderated by the effect of connectedness to nature, could explain levels of well‐being. A survey was conducted among a sample of 1343 participants living in seven European cities. Data were collected online via a questionnaire. Indicators of the objective quantity of urban natural space based on remotely sensed satellite imagery were also used. Regression models highlight the association between well‐being and perceived amount of nature, accessibility to a community garden, and level of connectedness to nature. A moderating and negative effect of connectedness to nature on the association between the perceived quantity of nature and well‐being was also identified. Perception of nature seems to be a better indicator of well‐being than the objective one. Results highlight the importance of the social dimension of collective gardens in enhancing well‐being. Connectedness to nature could facilitate appropriation of natural elements and its effects on well‐being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study is the first in Russia to examine how political values, institutional trust and patriotism, as well as connectedness to nature, environmental concern and environmental knowledge, predict five types of pro-environmental behaviour. The data of 462 Russians (56.7% female, mean age 36.73) was analysed using multiple regression and structural equation modelling. The model explained 30% of variance in social pro-environmental behaviour, 17% in sustainable purchasing, 13% in waste management, 11% in resource conservation and only 3% in climate-relevant action. First, each of the studied behaviour types had their unique predictors. The only common predictor of all five behaviour types was connectedness to nature. Egoistic environmental concern predicted sustainable purchasing and biospheric concern predicted resource conservation. Environmental knowledge predicted recycling behaviour. Institutional trust positively predicted social behaviour. Political value of free enterprise negatively predicted resource conservation. The findings and their practical implications, as well as future research directions, are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As mobile phones play an important role in people's daily life in China, the problem of mobile phone addiction has become more prevalent among people, especially among young people in China. This study examined the relationship between College Students' mobile phone addiction and aggression, the mediating effect of alexithymia, and the moderating effect of connectedness to nature and sex. A sample of 621 college students completed mobile addiction index scale, Toronto Alexithymia Scale, Connectedness to Nature Scale and aggression scale. The results showed that: (1) the level of individual mobile phone addiction is positively associated with the level of aggression; (2) Alexithymia mediates the effect of mobile phone addiction on aggression; (3) Sex and connectedness to nature moderate the relationship between alexithymia and aggression. The findings identified factors related college students' aggressive behavior, which has implications for strategies to prevent aggressive behavior among college students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since 2007, more than half of the population has lived in cities, and an increase of 60 percent is expected by 2030. The city can bring many benefits to citizens, but it also brings a series of problems, such as a loss of psychological well-being and the breakdown of social cohesion and several aspects of mental health. University districts, usually concentrated in specific parts of cities, suffer particularly from these negative effects. Nature can be used to alleviate these problems and provide the benefits of a connected urban life. The university community's well-being depends on contact with nature. In this sense, biophilic design improves the built environment. The purpose of this article is to analyze the relationship between connectedness to nature and psychological well-being in university communities to contrast the effect that nature has on people's psychological well-being and to identify possible biophilic design patterns that could improve connectedness to nature, validating the urgent need to design and implement biophilic design in current cities and university urban districts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aesthetic experiences of nature are associated with beneficial psychological and behavioural outcomes. We investigated in a laboratory study whether an individual’s level of connectedness to nature is associated with their aesthetic sensitivity to images of natural scenes, and whether the amount of attention allocated to the images mediated this association. Participants (N = 82) viewed 14 photographs depicting natural scenes and evaluated them on three aesthetic dimensions and completed the Connectedness to Nature (CN) and Openness to Experience (OtE) scales. CN positively predicted pleasure, beauty and aesthetic emotion, independently of OtE. The amount of attention participants paid to the images mediated the relationship between connectedness to nature and aesthetic pleasure, and connectedness to nature and beauty ratings. These findings extend our understanding by showing that attention is an important mechanism through which nature connectedness influences aesthetic responses of pleasantness and beauty in response to natural scenes. The findings have real-world implications as appreciation of the aesthetic qualities of nature is associated with a number of beneficial psychological outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Connectedness to nature influences the well-being and health of individuals, communities, and the planet. Although many validated scales exist, none includes the three fundamental aspects of any attitude: the affective, behavioural, and cognitive components. The study's main objective was to develop and validate an integral tool, the ABC Connectedness to Nature Scale (ABC-CNS), which would enable the measurement of the affective, behavioural, and cognitive aspects of this construct. The questionnaire was administered to 1,375 students (878 Ecuadorian and 497 Spanish). Exploratory factor analysis retained the three expected factors. Confirmatory factor analyses confirmed a robust adjustment for the tridimensional structure, but cross-cultural invariance was not attained: Although the ABC-CNS is valid for both Ecuador and Spain, the scores cannot be compared in both cultural contexts analysed. The pattern of relations with other psychological variables (proenvironmental values, appreciation and preservation of nature, and individual and classmates' proenvironmental behaviours) provided evidence of the structure and construct validity. The ABC-CNS scale is an integral, reliable, and short tool to measure connectedness to nature through the proposed dimensions. The tool is suitable for environmental professionals and researchers to assess individuals' connectedness to nature, a psychological variable that may affect a person's mental health and proenvironmental behaviour. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change is generating harmful consequences, specifically in urban environments. Re/naturalizing urban areas and stimulating the connectedness to nature of a significant number of individuals may be responses to mitigate these effects. The main objective of this study is to investigate the interactions between perceived exposure to nature in the city in terms of quality and frequency, positive and negative affect, and subjective well-being by considering connectedness to nature as a moderator of these interactions. Data were collected by convenience using an online questionnaire. Participants had been living for at least one year in a French city of more than 100,000 inhabitants. The final sample consisted of N = 479 participants. Structural equation modelling showed that perceived exposure to nature in the city improves positive affect that contributes to subjective well-being and that the more connected individuals are to nature, the better. Implications and perspectives are discussed for the mitigation of the deleterious effects of climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The high rate of loss of urban green spaces is reducing connectivity between people and nature, and the ability of the urban population to appreciate and enjoy the natural environment. However, not much is known about the extent to which ongoing efforts at planning green infrastructure are influencing residents’ connectedness to nature, especially in cities in sub-Saharan Africa. This study investigates the influence of green infrastructure (GI) on residents’ self-perceived connectedness with nature in selected residential neighbourhoods in Lagos, Nigeria. Through a multi-stage sampling technique, 1,560 residents were included in a survey and the data were analysed using descriptive and categorical regression analyses. The results showed that, although the residents were generally dissatisfied with the quality and quantity of GI in their neighbourhoods, they felt that the existing GI has a significant positive influence on their connection to nature. The regression analysis also revealed that the current state and availability of green areas for relaxation in the neighbourhoods were the two GI characteristics with the most influence on residents’ sense of connectedness to nature. These findings are instructive in noting that, to improve the urban population’s connectedness to nature using GI, city planners and managers should pay specific attention to providing and maintaining green areas for relaxation in residential neighbourhoods in the study area and beyond.

Little is known about the psychological processes through which people connect to nature. From social psychology, we know that emotions play an essential role when connecting to others. In this article, we argue that social connectedness and connectedness to nature are underpinned by the same emotions. More specifically, we propose that social relational emotions are crucial to understanding the process through which humans connect to nature. Beside other emotions, kama muta (Sanskrit: being moved by love) might play a particular crucial role when connecting to nature. Future research should consider the role of social relational emotions in human-nature relationships.

Aesthetic experiences of nature are associated with beneficial psychological and behavioural outcomes. We investigated in a laboratory study whether an individual’s level of connectedness to nature is associated with their aesthetic sensitivity to images of natural scenes, and whether the amount of attention allocated to the images mediated this association. Participants (N = 82) viewed 14 photographs depicting natural scenes and evaluated them on three aesthetic dimensions and completed the Connectedness to Nature (CN) and Openness to Experience (OtE) scales. CN positively predicted pleasure, beauty and aesthetic emotion, independently of OtE. The amount of attention participants paid to the images mediated the relationship between connectedness to nature and aesthetic pleasure, and connectedness to nature and beauty ratings. These findings extend our understanding by showing that attention is an important mechanism through which nature connectedness influences aesthetic responses of pleasantness and beauty in response to natural scenes. The findings have real-world implications as appreciation of the aesthetic qualities of nature is associated with a number of beneficial psychological outcomes.

This study newly explored the relationship between individual characteristics (i.e., connectedness to nature, a preference for natural rather than built environments, personality, visuospatial preferences) with perceived restorativeness, as well as affective and memory-related benefits of exposure to the nature. Eighty adults were individually exposed to nature by walking in a landscape garden. Measures of connectedness to nature, preference for natural environments, personality traits, and visuospatial preferences were administered. Before and after walking in the garden, participants completed measures of affect (positive and negative emotions) and memory (short-term and working memory, and spatial memory). After walking they completed a Perceived Restorativeness scale. Perceived Restorativeness was found to be significantly explained by Extraversion (personality trait) and Connectedness to Nature. There was no significant influence of individual characteristics on benefits to affect and memory measures. Overall, the results showed that perception of the restorative effect of a natural environment is related to connectedness to nature and personality (extraversion trait). Taken together, our findings highlight the importance of considering individual characteristics to better capture restorative/recovery effects of a natural environment in an individual, and to tailor/implement nature-based solutions to ensure a sustainable urban green environment and to promote quality of life for their citizens.

A call for human-nature reconnection echoes among scholars to move consumers towards pro-environmental consumption. When addressing products that are deeply entangled with unconscious human desires and addictive behaviour and that are also part of one of the most toxic industries—such as fashionables—the need for consumer awareness is key. Studies both on connectedness to nature and moral emotions like guilt have consistently shown linkages with pro-environmental behaviour. However, deeper scrutiny regarding this pro-environmental behaviour is needed to grasp these variables' sphere of action. This research aims to explore the first linkages between connectedness and pro-environmental consumption. We present findings from a literature review on the impact of connectedness in consumption, particularly fashionables, following an integrative approach of a semi-systematic keyword search and snowball sampling. We present a first indication of possible drivers for connectedness and their impact on pro-environmental choices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Connectedness to Nature and the ability to perceive the restorative value of places characterised by the presence of natural elements are personal characteristics that, when appropriately measured, make it possible to predict an individual's attitude towards pro-environmental behaviour. While these characteristics have an innate basis, they are also shaped by personal experiences and various cognitive, affective and sociocultural factors. In this exploratory study in North-eastern Italy, we delve into an interdisciplinary field that explores the relationship between the environment of the residential area and its impact on children's attitudes toward Nature. To do so, we conducted a comprehensive questionnaire amongst 533 primary schoolchildren, aged 6-11 years, to gauge their connectedness to Nature, their perceptions of restorativeness in surrounding natural settings, and their schoolyard environment. Drawing from optical satellite imageries, we calculated a combined multispectral index to assess the naturalness degree of participants' residential areas, focusing on their 68 residential areas, located in three administrative Italian Regions (Trentino Alto Adige, Friuli Venezia Giulia and Veneto), which were classified into four different classes with respect to their level of presence of natural areas ("coastal," "low," "average," "high"). By performing non-parametric tests for multiple comparisons amongst groups, we detected a significantly higher level of connectedness to Nature amongst children living in areas with high naturalness, compared to those living in areas with average or low naturalness. Perceived restorativeness scores exhibit a similar trend to that of connectedness to Nature, reinforcing the importance of natural spaces in fostering positive attitudes towards the environment. This result confirms that accessibility and the viewability of natural spaces, even semi-natural ones, seemed to play a crucial role in children's preference for these environments. However, schoolyards were consistently perceived as less regenerative than natural places, regardless of the naturalness of the neighbourhood. These findings raise intriguing questions about the potential consequences of inadequate exposure to Nature on children's affiliation to the natural world and possible subsequent effects on pro-environmental behaviour in adulthood. By shedding light on the complex interplay between personal characteristics, environment and attitudes towards Nature, our study underscores the significance of fostering a deeper connection with natural spaces to nurture a sustainable and environmentally conscious society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Littering is a worldwide problem and Vietnam is one of the most affected countries. To enact change, not only individual cognitive determinants but also social and natural-, or environment-related variables should be taken into consideration. Although there is a large body of literature researching littering, most researchers do not distinguish the level of these factors. Thus, this research aims to investigate the interactive mechanism of these different level factors influencing the intention of the Vietnamese to stop littering, with the multi-level social-ecological model used to guide model building. The data were collected through a self-reported online questionnaire and the Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) method was employed to examine the proposed conceptual framework. The results indicated that perceived behavioral control and connectedness to nature are the two main factors influencing the Vietnamese people's intention to stop littering. Multigroup analysis results suggested the moderating effects of injunctive and descriptive norms. This research proposed a new conceptual framework and achieved unique insights into littering behavior in Vietnam, which could benefit and guide behavioral change experts, academics, and practitioners to design appropriate marketing strategies/campaigns to reduce littering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To explore the relationship among pro-environmental behavior, connectedness to nature and subjective well-being in college students. Methods: A total of 300 college students（121 males,179 females) were followed up 3 times over 10 months. Pro-environmental behavior was measured with the College Students’ Environmental Behaviors Questionnaire (CSEBQ), Connectedness to Nature Scale (CNS) was used to assess connectedness to nature, and subjective well-being was assessed with Index of well-being and Index of General Affect The structural equation model was constructed by Amos for cross-lagged analysis, and the Bootstrap method was used to test the mediation effect. Results: In 3 times of tests, the CNS scores were higher in females than in males, and the CSEBQ scores were higher in lower-grade college students than in higher-grade college students and graduate students (Ps <0.05). The scores of the 3 variables were positively correlated with one another (r = 0.22-0.69, Ps <0.01). In the cross-lagged analysis, the CESBQ scores could positively predict the CNS scores after 5 months（β = 0.10; P <0.05), and the CNS scores could positively predict index of well-being after 5 months (β = 0.05, P <0.01). The Bootstrap test showed that the mediating effect of T2 connectedness to nature in the relationship between T1 pro-environmental behavior and T3 subjective well-being of college students accounted for 36.05% of the total effect, and the 95% confidence interval of the mediating effect was 0.05 - 0.27. Conclusion: It suggests that the more pro-environmental behaviors, the higher the subjective well-being, and connectedness to nature may play a mediating role in the relationship between pro-environmental behavior and subjective well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a result of the environmental issues, different variables have been studied in relation to environmental concern and pro-environmental behavior. Among these are the connection to nature and emotions. In a first study (n = 95), pride and guilt were found to be emotions which can be explained by the perceived environmental impact of those rather than the behavior itself. In a second study, it was observed that pride and guilt play a mediating role in the relationship between connectedness to nature and pro-environmental behavioral intention (n = 244). On the other hand, in the relationship between love for nature and behavioral intention, pride, but not guilt, played a mediating role (n = 253). Thus, the importance of fostering both pride and guilt in attaining higher levels of environmentally conscious behavior, as well as of considering people’s perceptions of the impact of their behaviors on the environment, is highlighted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: In this study, we aimed to examine the structural relationships among mothers’ childhood nature experiences, their nature-connectedness self-efficacy, and young children’s connectedness to nature. We also aimed to explore the mediating effects of mothers’ nature-connectedness self-efficacy on their childhood nature experiences and young children’s connectedness to nature. Methods: Data were collected from 414 mothers with young children aged three to five years. The scales used in this study were used for the first time in Korea. Data were analyzed based on frequency, mean, standard deviation, and Pearson’s correlation coefficient with SPSS 25.0 software, Structural equation modeling (SEM) was applied to analyze the mediating effects with the bootstrapping method and AMOS 28.0. Results: First, there were significant correlations between mothers’ childhood nature experiences, young children’s connectedness to nature and mothers’ nature connectedness self-efficacy. Second, SEM supported the hypothesized relations among mothers’ childhood nature experiences, mothers’ nature-connectedness self-efficacy, and young children’s connectedness after controlling for young children’s gender. It was also found that mothers’ nature-connectedness self-efficacy partially mediated the relationship between mothers’ childhood nature experiences and young children’s connectedness to nature. Conclusion: This study revealed that mothers' childhood nature experiences and nature-connectedness self-efficacy predicted young children’s connectedness to nature. Developing connectedness to nature is essential for young children who are the main players in the era of a sustainable society. This study provides important basic data for policies or programs that promote the development of young children’s connectedness to nature by emphasizing the role of mothers' nature experiences and natureconnectedness self-efficacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is known exposure to and connectedness with nature is beneficial for psychological wellbeing and stress relief. However, many factors hinder people, including young adults, from utilizing natural resources for healing. The present study indicates using a motivational enhancement approach and additional motivational elements in public messaging to address ambivalence toward nature exposure successfully results in favorable impacts on belief, intention, recall of positive nature elements, and perceived stress. Because this study coincided with the development of the COVID-19 pandemic in Taiwan, it offers a valuable opportunity for exploring how effective the motivational indicators were at different stages of the pandemic, as well as how connectedness to nature can explain perceived stress. In measuring motivation, we captured the essential elements of mobilizing young adults to connect with nature while also exploring potential expansion of behavioral indicators. We discuss how to foster inspiration during a pandemic to enhance connectedness to nature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Outdoor leisure experiences may represent an understudied yet effective pathway to promote connectedness to nature for urban park visitors. In contrast to outdoor recreation, this critical essay argues outdoor leisure more heavily emphasizes eudaimonic sentiments and intrinsic motivation in comparison with the goal-oriented and hedonic nature of outdoor recreation. It is further argued that two specific social psychological constructs, awe and solitude, may be especially useful in promoting leisure experiences in urban outdoor spaces. Relevant philosophical and social psychological literature is reviewed and synthesized to outline how land managers and environmental educators may facilitate experiences of awe and solitude to better promote contexts for experiencing outdoor leisure in urban parks. Specifically, reviewed literature suggests that utilizing the recreation opportunity spectrum framework and co-creative processes may be an effective path forward in better supporting urban park environments that are conducive to awe, solitude, and leisure. The review and synthesis of this research may ultimately guide environmental educators, land managers, and researchers in ways to more effectively support connectedness to nature via outdoor leisure experiences as an outcome for visitors to outdoor urban spaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Tourism Tribune / Lvyou Xuekan is the property of Tourism Institute of Beijing Union University and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Connectedness to nature (C2N) shows a positive relationship with many factors supporting children's health, wellbeing, and development. In addition, C2N has been shown to have a positive relationship with learning about and caring for nature. Despite a long history of outdoor education in early childhood settings in Sweden, C2N is not a concept that early childhood professionals widely use. In this study, we aimed at investigating whether early childhood educators perceived C2N as a valuable idea for their professional efforts. Further, the possible relationship between early science learning and C2N was explored. Specifically, Swedish preschool teachers' view on how natural science teaching as part of the Swedish National Curriculum for Preschool could promote children's connectedness to nature. Teachers from two preschools participated in a connectedness to nature workshop and subsequently reflected on their teaching in a questionnaire and during two follow-up discussions. The data reveals a broad set of content regarding natural science teaching and connectedness to nature in the preschool setting. Results indicate that teachers focus on children's interests, participation, and collaboration in their work with children. Further, results indicate educators perceive their role as someone exploring nature together with children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Empirical evidence of nature's benefits to cognitive and emotional well-being is emerging. In this study, 48 Taiwanese young adults (24 indoors and 24 outdoors in urban greenspace) completed four weekly 45 min exposure sessions. The study explores whether the outdoor group surpasses the indoor group in cognitive and emotional well-being and nature connectedness. There were no significant differences for the indoor group across different measurements of rumination and connectedness to nature. However, the outdoor group displayed a significant reduction in rumination post-test compared to the one week prior and the first session. Similarly, for sessions two, three, and four and one month post-test, the outdoor group's connectedness to nature was significantly higher than pre-test. Specific autobiographical memory was enhanced while overgeneral autobiographic memory was reduced during the third and fourth sessions, though these changes were not sustained at one-month follow-up. Surprisingly, both groups yielded similar results in decreased depression, anxiety, and stress. A significantly higher number of outdoor group participants had employed nature exposure for coping with stress or emotions after the program. We discuss the implications of this for counseling services for young adults and highlight future research possibilities, including formulating a nature-exposure protocol and a program evaluation for consolidating evidence-based nature prescription. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The high rate of loss of urban green spaces is reducing connectivity between people and nature, and the ability of the urban population to appreciate and enjoy the natural environment. However, not much is known about the extent to which ongoing efforts at planning green infrastructure are influencing residents' connectedness to nature, especially in cities in sub-Saharan Africa. This study investigates the influence of green infrastructure (GI) on residents' self-perceived connectedness with nature in selected residential neighbourhoods in Lagos, Nigeria. Through a multi-stage sampling technique, 1,560 residents were included in a survey and the data were analysed using descriptive and categorical regression analyses. The results showed that, although the residents were generally dissatisfied with the quality and quantity of GI in their neighbourhoods, they felt that the existing GI has a significant positive influence on their connection to nature. The regression analysis also revealed that the current state and availability of green areas for relaxation in the neighbourhoods were the two GI characteristics with the most influence on residents' sense of connectedness to nature. These findings are instructive in noting that, to improve the urban population's connectedness to nature using GI, city planners and managers should pay specific attention to providing and maintaining green areas for relaxation in residential neighbourhoods in the study area and beyond. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Informed by the social exchange, environmental identity, and value-belief-norm theories, this study is the first to examine the mediating and interaction mechanisms of green human resource management (HRM) practices, connectedness to nature, and conscientiousness on employees' pro-environmental performance (P-EP) in the context of hospitality in Kazakhstan (Almaty), Central Asia. The data were collected from 220 employees of four- and five-star hotels. Reliability, construct validity, and the proposed hypotheses were tested using AMOS 26.0. The results reveal that green HRM positively affects two types of employees' P-EP: task-related and proactive. The findings also confirm the mediating role of connectedness to nature in the relationship between green HRM and employees' task and proactive P-EP. Furthermore, interaction analyses show that conscientiousness strengthens the impact of green HRM on employees' proactive P-EP. The managerial takeaways of this study will help to embed and implement green philosophy and environmentally friendly practices in the hospitality industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

People relate to nature physically, cognitively and emotionally, and this relationship fosters their well‐being. There are several types of environments that vary according to their degree of naturalness, raising the question of whether they each exert different effects on people, connectedness and well‐being. In order to study the extent to which environmental connectedness and well‐being are a function of viewing different types of nature, we conducted a study with 454 participants from five different countries, who viewed images on a computer screen of one of three types of environment (totally natural, quasi‐natural or non‐natural) and responded to a series of associated items. The results of a mediation analysis showed an indirect effect of type of environment on well‐being through positive and negative affect and connectedness to nature. The corresponding ANOVAs revealed differences in the connectedness and well‐being elicited by different types of environment, and in preference: totally natural and quasi‐natural environments (with no differences between them) showed differences with non‐natural environments. Therefore, our study results suggest the usefulness of images of natural environments in fostering people's well‐being and connectedness to nature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Outdoor leisure experiences may represent an understudied yet effective pathway to promote connectedness to nature for urban park visitors. In contrast to outdoor recreation, this critical essay argues outdoor leisure more heavily emphasizes eudaimonic sentiments and intrinsic motivation in comparison with the goal-oriented and hedonic nature of outdoor recreation. It is further argued that two specific social psychological constructs, awe and solitude, may be especially useful in promoting leisure experiences in urban outdoor spaces. Relevant philosophical and social psychological literature is reviewed and synthesized to outline how land managers and environmental educators may facilitate experiences of awe and solitude to better promote contexts for experiencing outdoor leisure in urban parks. Specifically, reviewed literature suggests that utilizing the recreation opportunity spectrum framework and co-creative processes may be an effective path forward in better supporting urban park environments that are conducive to awe, solitude, and leisure. The review and synthesis of this research may ultimately guide environmental educators, land managers, and researchers in ways to more effectively support connectedness to nature via outdoor leisure experiences as an outcome for visitors to outdoor urban spaces.

With the formation of the concept of Cyber Physical Social Energy System, social and human factors become more prominent and stay at an important position. The interaction between the energy system and the social system will have a huge impact on the development of the energy system. As one of the hot topics in the CPSES area, the influence of the transformational leadership on the team green behaviors has attracted extensive attention of the academics. By influencing the enterprise behaviors through the leadership behaviors, it can promote the development of the Power Energy Internet Platform Technology and accelerate the application of the technology. Based on the Affective Events Theory, this article discusses the influencing mechanism and key factors of the transformational leadership on the team green behaviors. A total of 3 821 employees and their supervisors from 457 work teams in 19 energy enterprises in the Pearl River Delta region were tracked. This article finds that the transformational leadership positively affects the team green behavior. The connectedness to nature plays a positive mediating role between the transformational leadership and the team green behavior. The work features has a negative regulating effect on the relationship between the transformational leadership and the connectedness to nature, while the team task performance has a positive regulating effect. This article expands the application scope of the AET theory, discusses details of the influence mechanism between the transformational leadership and the team green behaviors, and provides a direction for further theoretical exploration.

Attention Restoration Theory proposes that exposure to natural environments helps to restore attention. For sustained attention—the ongoing application of focus to a task, the effect appears to be modest, and the underlying mechanisms of attention restoration remain unclear. Exposure to nature may improve attention performance through many means: modulation of alertness and one's connection to nature were investigated here, in two separate studies. In both studies, participants performed the Sustained Attention to Response Task (SART) before and immediately after viewing a meadow, ocean, or urban image for 40 s, and then completed the Perceived Restorativeness Scale. In Study 1 (n = 68), an eye-tracker recorded the participants' tonic pupil diameter during the SARTs, providing a measure of alertness. In Study 2 (n = 186), the effects of connectedness to nature on SART performance and perceived restoration were studied. In both studies, the image viewed was not associated with participants' sustained attention performance; both nature images were perceived as equally restorative, and more restorative than the urban image. The image viewed was not associated with changes in alertness. Connectedness to nature was not associated with sustained attention performance, but it did moderate the relation between viewing the natural images and perceived restorativeness; participants reporting a higher connection to nature also reported feeling more restored after viewing the nature, but not the urban, images. Dissociation was found between the physiological and behavioral measures and the perceived restorativeness of the images. The results suggest that restoration associated with nature exposure is not associated with modulation of alertness but is associated with connectedness with nature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Educational gardens are powerful outdoor learning environments to address the subject of climate change and foster climate action. Using an online questionnaire, this study examines the influence of the main sociodemographic and academic factors, and the role of connectedness to nature, on the perception of educational gardens as contexts of climate change education (CCE) among Spanish preservice teachers (PSTs). The sample consisted of 889 PSTs enrolled in 9 university campuses of Spain. The statistical analyses performed evidenced that women are more likely to use educational gardens than men and that there is a progressive decrease in the positive perception of PSTs about the usefulness of gardens for CCE as the educational level at which they are being trained increases. Statistics also revealed that the variable connectedness to nature and the rating of the importance of educational gardens in CCE are not significantly related. Nevertheless, the Mann–Whitney U test indicated that PSTs who scored higher on connection to nature wished to broaden their knowledge of sustainable agriculture and, thus, connectedness to nature could be considered a predictor of environmental attitudes, each influencing the other. Based on these findings, recommendations for PSTs' training in the CCE context are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although both altruistic and ecological behaviors can be considered prosocially driven behaviors, our psychological understanding of what motivates action in either the human or ecological domains is still in its infancy. We aimed to assess connection to nature and connection to humans as mediators of the relationship between prosocial propensity and prosocial behaviors in both the ecological and human domains. This study used empathy as an indicator of an individual's prosocial propensity. The data for the study was collected through surveys in Russian (841 participants) and Spanish (418 participants). The study demonstrated that an individual's prosocial propensity can be actioned into ecological (nature-related) behavior through connection to nature. Similarly, an individual's prosocial propensity can be actioned into altruistic (human-related) behavior through connection to humans. However, the present study also demonstrates that an individual's prosocial propensity can be directed to humans through a connection to nature. Thus, altruistic and ecological behaviors are two related classes of behavior, driven by the same prosocial propensity of the individual. This study is an important step towards generating scientific support for the claim that traditionally separate teaching of prosocial and environmental subjects should be combined into a single educational approach. An integrated approach will contribute to a multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary effort to create a society that is both ecologically and socially sustainable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oneness is a sense of profound unity with some other entity, typically a large, abstract entity such as nature or all of existence. This article offers a typology of oneness based on a review of oneness concepts in the psychology literature. The typology distinguishes between oneness experiences and oneness intuitions or beliefs, the latter being propositions about how self and other are connected. It also distinguishes between three perceived ontologies: expansion (including other in self), interdependence (self and other in symbiosis), and essential (self and other sharing some fundamental property). Confirmatory factor analysis (n = 102) supported the typology's dimensions within the scope of nature, using novel sets of items based on restructuring extant oneness measures. Implications of the typology for understanding oneness with nature and its role in addressing environmental crises are discussed, including how these may interact with cultural context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Disconnect between humans and nature has been considered a driver of contemporary environmental crises. This has resulted in environmental managers calling for society to 're-connect' with nature for future sustainability. However, conceptualisations of 'connections to nature' are fragmented in theoretical terms and practical application, as empirical research in environmental management literature exploring lay people's conceptualisations of their personal 'connections to nature' is scarce. This raises a key issue: if environmental managers do not know what they are aiming for, how can it be effective? This study responds to the empirical gap by exploring what a 'connection to nature' means to lay individuals. Just under 1,000 respondents from Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland, Aotearoa New Zealand engaged in the study. Results suggest that lay conceptualisations of 'connections to nature' range across nine dimensions – cognitive, affective, experiential, philosophical, spiritual, material, well-being, cultural or that it is a 'hippie term'. Diversity of conceptualisations among the respondent group suggests that empirical exploration of the way that people conceptualise their 'connections to nature' is beneficial. These understandings could prove vital for more efficient sustainability actions to achieve more effective outcomes. The findings advance discourse on human-nature connections in environmental management literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ObjectivesIn this study a serial multiple mediation model is tested to investigate the potential sequentially-mediating effect of affect balance and social cohesion on the association between connectedness to nature and life satisfaction or depression.MethodsA total of 675 Chinese people from Jiangsu province living in rural low-income households participated in the study. The Connectedness to Nature Scale (CNS), the Positive Affect and Negative Affect Scale (PANAS), the Social cohesion scale (SCS), the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS), and the Patient Health Questionnaires (PHQ9) were measured in this paper.ResultsResults indicated that the multiple serial mediation of affect balance and social cohesion on the association between connectedness to nature and life satisfaction was significant among the full-size sample, the adult-report, and the old people report, but that this effect is relatively small. Specifically, serial mediation accounted for 2.01, 1.69, 2.67% of the total effect explained by connectedness to nature on life satisfaction, while it accounted for 2.66, 2.35, 2.91% of the total effect explained by connectedness to nature on depression among the full sample population, adults, and old people, respectively.ConclusionsThe findings corroborate the important roles of affect balance and social cohesion in activating connectedness to nature. We discussed the possible ways that affect balance and social cohesion might enhance life satisfaction and decrease depression for Chinese people living in rural low-income households. We also discussed the limitations of this study. More mechanisms could be considered in future studies.

Attention Restoration Theory proposes that exposure to natural environments helps to restore attention. For sustained attention—the ongoing application of focus to a task, the effect appears to be modest, and the underlying mechanisms of attention restoration remain unclear. Exposure to nature may improve attention performance through many means: modulation of alertness and one’s connection to nature were investigated here, in two separate studies. In both studies, participants performed the Sustained Attention to Response Task (SART) before and immediately after viewing a meadow, ocean, or urban image for 40 s, and then completed the Perceived Restorativeness Scale. In Study 1 (n = 68), an eye-tracker recorded the participants’ tonic pupil diameter during the SARTs, providing a measure of alertness. In Study 2 (n = 186), the effects of connectedness to nature on SART performance and perceived restoration were studied. In both studies, the image viewed was not associated with participants’ sustained attention performance; both nature images were perceived as equally restorative, and more restorative than the urban image. The image viewed was not associated with changes in alertness. Connectedness to nature was not associated with sustained attention performance, but it did moderate the relation between viewing the natural images and perceived restorativeness; participants reporting a higher connection to nature also reported feeling more restored after viewing the nature, but not the urban, images. Dissociation was found between the physiological and behavioral measures and the perceived restorativeness of the images. The results suggest that restoration associated with nature exposure is not associated with modulation of alertness but is associated with connectedness with nature.

The concept of mindfulness has been discussed as being a promising pathway to strenghten pro-environmental behavior, that is at the same time related to personal well-being. Several studies identified correlations between trait mindfulness and pro-environmental behavior (PEB) and identified different mediators. To obtain better, fine-grained insights into this connection, the present study investigated mindfulness as a predictor of same-day connectedness to nature, personal ecological norm activation (PENA), PEB and well-being on a within-person level. In a daily diary study (N = 183, days = 1197), multilevel regression analysis showed: (i) positive same-day within-person relationships between mindfulness and PENA, connectedness to nature and well-being; (ii) a significant effect of mindfulness on next-day PEB; (iii) relationships between regular mind-body practices, such as mindfulness meditation, and daily PEB. Path analysis showed, (iv) a path from mindfulness to PEB mediated by connectedness to nature and PENA. The study confirms the significance of mindfulness in every-day life for connectedness to nature, PENA and well-being. Furthermore, the study points out the relevance of investigating predictors of PEB on a within-person level

The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in widespread travel restrictions to reduce the spread of the virus. It is therefore necessary to understand factors that lead to support for these imposed travel restrictions. Given the reduced environmental impact (e.g., reduced pollution) resulting from travel restrictions, these restrictions can be viewed through a pro-environmental lens. This study aimed to examine the influence of the well-supported predictor of pro-environmental behaviour, connectedness to nature, on support for COVID-19 travel restrictions. To understand why connectedness to nature may predict support for travel restrictions, mediators of this relationship were examined. Anthropomorphism of nature is reasoned to accompany connectedness to nature, and can involve anthropomorphism in various forms (i.e., generalised, and context-specific anthropomorphism). This study (N=270) examined a mediation model whereby anthropomorphism of nature (general) and anthropomorphism of nature in COVID-19 (context-specific) were serial mediators of the relationship between connectedness to nature and support for travel restrictions. Individual pathways of the model were significant, as were the indirect effects, providing support for the serial mediation model, with these predictors accounting for 13% of the variance in support for COVID-19 travel restrictions. Implications of this research are discussed and include promotion of connectedness to nature as well as considering anthropomorphic message framing.

Although many philosophers and environmental psychologists agree that progress toward a more ecologically conscious society depends upon individuals developing a sense of connectedness to nature, such agreement is of limited use if we do not understand how connectedness forms. The purpose of this review is to delineate the state of the psychological literature concerning the antecedents of connectedness to nature. The literature review is organized into three main sections: (1) situational contexts that influence connectedness; (2) individual difference predictors, such as demographic group membership, personality, or beliefs; and (3) internal psychological states that may explain psychological processes that result in connectedness. Major critiques of the extant literature and future directions are presented in a discussion following the body of the review. The primary implications highlighted by the review are a greater need for theories delineating the formation of connectedness, a greater focus on process, and increased differentiation between similar antecedents of connectedness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although many philosophers and environmental psychologists agree that progress toward a more ecologically conscious society depends upon individuals developing a sense of connectedness to nature, such agreement is of limited use if we do not understand how connectedness forms. The purpose of this review is to delineate the state of the psychological literature concerning the antecedents of connectedness to nature. The literature review is organized into three main sections: (1) situational contexts that influence connectedness; (2) individual difference predictors, such as demographic group membership, personality, or beliefs; and (3) internal psychological states that may explain psychological processes that result in connectedness. Major critiques of the extant literature and future directions are presented in a discussion following the body of the review. The primary implications highlighted by the review are a greater need for theories delineating the formation of connectedness, a greater focus on process, and increased differentiation between similar antecedents of connectedness.