Abstract
The current study evaluated the degree to which nature-based physical activity (NPA) influenced two distinct types of psychological wellbeing: hedonic wellbeing and eudaimonic wellbeing. The type of motivation an individual experiences for physical activity, and the extent to which individuals have a sense of relatedness with nature, have been shown to influence the specific type of psychological wellbeing that is experienced as a result of NPA. However, the role of these two variables in the relationship between NPA and psychological wellbeing has not been examined. Thus, this study assessed the potential mediating influence of (1) motivational quality and (2) nature relatedness on the relationships between NPA and hedonic and eudaimonic wellbeing, respectively. Participants (N = 262) completed an online survey assessing hedonic and eudaimonic wellbeing, NPA, intrinsic motivation, autonomous extrinsic motivation, and nature relatedness. Data were analysed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling. Results showed that motivational quality and nature relatedness both fully mediated the relationships between NPA and hedonic and eudaimonic wellbeing. Specifically, intrinsic motivation positively mediated the relationship between NPA and hedonic wellbeing. Autonomous extrinsic motivation and nature relatedness positively mediated the relationship between NPA and eudaimonic wellbeing. These findings suggest that the associations between NPA and eudaimonic wellbeing and hedonic wellbeing, respectively, are driven by different mechanisms relating to an individual’s (1) underlying motivation and (2) sense of connection to nature. These findings suggest that promoting distinct types of wellbeing (hedonic vs. eudaimonic) through NPA requires distinct approaches. Emphasising enjoyment, pleasure, and positive kinaesthetic experiences within NPA may be more conducive to hedonic wellbeing, while highlighting opportunities for connecting with nature or experiencing valued outcomes of NPA may be more conducive to eudaimonic wellbeing.
Highlights
IntroductionSpending time in natural environments has long been associated with therapeutic value, including both green spaces (e.g., forest, bush; Dadvand and Nieuwenhuijsen, 2019) and blue spaces (e.g., oceans, rivers, lakes; White et al, 2020)
Spending time in natural environments has long been associated with therapeutic value, including both green spaces and blue spaces
While nature-based physical activity (NPA) has been discussed as a way of managing, treating, and preventing mental illness (Maier and Jette, 2016), researchers have called for a focus on its capacity to enhance psychological wellbeing (Seligman and Csikszentmihalyi, 2000; Jeste et al, 2015; Zhang and Chen, 2019) and to examine the mechanisms through which physical activity creates its mental health effects (Lubans et al, 2016)
Summary
Spending time in natural environments has long been associated with therapeutic value, including both green spaces (e.g., forest, bush; Dadvand and Nieuwenhuijsen, 2019) and blue spaces (e.g., oceans, rivers, lakes; White et al, 2020). It has been suggested that one way by which natural environments have salutogenic health effects is by providing a platform for physical activity (van den Berg et al, 2018). Mental health can be been described as lying on a continuum, ranging from mental illness (e.g., depression, anxiety) to high levels of psychological wellbeing (Keyes, 2002). While NPA has been discussed as a way of managing, treating, and preventing mental illness (Maier and Jette, 2016), researchers have called for a focus on its capacity to enhance psychological wellbeing (Seligman and Csikszentmihalyi, 2000; Jeste et al, 2015; Zhang and Chen, 2019) and to examine the mechanisms through which physical activity creates its mental health effects (Lubans et al, 2016). While psychological wellbeing is characterised by both hedonic and eudaimonic wellbeing (Diener, 1984), research has not established their respective relationships with NPA, nor the potential socio-psychological pathways that may explain these relationships
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