Abstract
Recent research suggests that engagement with natural beauty (EWNB) is key to the well-being benefits of nature connectedness. The Wildlife Trust’s 30 Days Wild campaign provides a large-scale intervention for improving public engagement with nature and its beauty. The effect of 30 Days Wild participation on levels of EWNB and the relationship between EWNB, nature connectedness and happiness was evaluated during the 2017 campaign. Of the 49,000 people who signed up to the campaign, 308 people fully completed measures of EWNB, nature connection, health, happiness, and conservation behaviors at baseline, post-30 days and post-2 months. There were sustained and significant increases for scores in nature connection, health, happiness, and conservation behaviors. In addition, 30 Days Wild was the first intervention found to increase EWNB. Further, the significant increase in EWNB mediated the relationship between the increases in nature connectedness and happiness. In a supplementary study to understand the well-being benefits further (n = 153), emotional regulation was found to mediate the relationship between nature connectedness and happiness, but EWNB and emotional regulation were not related. The links between nature’s beauty, nature connectedness and well-being are discussed within an account of affect-regulation.
Highlights
“The exceeding beauty of the earth, in her splendour of life, yields a new thought with every petal
Given the suggestion, supported by the findings of Gidlow et al (2016), that the well-being benefits of nature connectedness are not adequately described by attention-restoration (ART) and stress reduction theories developed to explain the benefits of nature exposure (Capaldi et al, 2017) the present paper considers potential links between nature connectedness, wellbeing and affect regulation through data from a supplementary study
The present paper asks three research questions, two within the evaluation: (i) Does taking part in 30 Days Wild have an effect on happiness, health, conservation behaviors, nature connectedness and Engagement With Nature’s Beauty natural beauty (EWNB)? (ii) Does EWNB mediate the relationship between nature connectedness and well-being? A third research question is addressed in a supplementary study: (iii) What is the relationship between nature connectedness, EWNB, happiness and emotional regulation?
Summary
The Wildlife Trust’s 30 Days Wild campaign provides a large-scale intervention for improving public engagement with nature and its beauty. The effect of 30 Days Wild participation on levels of EWNB and the relationship between EWNB, nature connectedness and happiness was evaluated during the 2017 campaign. Of the 49,000 people who signed up to the campaign, 308 people fully completed measures of EWNB, nature connection, health, happiness, and conservation behaviors at baseline, post-30 days and post-2 months. There were sustained and significant increases for scores in nature connection, health, happiness, and conservation behaviors. The significant increase in EWNB mediated the relationship between the increases in nature connectedness and happiness. In a supplementary study to understand the well-being benefits further (n = 153), emotional regulation was found to mediate the relationship between nature connectedness and happiness, but EWNB and emotional regulation were not related.
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