Underwater virtual reality for awe, ocean connectedness, and pro-environmental behavior: a randomized controlled trial

Nature contact, nature connectedness and associations with health, wellbeing and pro-environmental behaviours

Non-technical summary This study addresses the challenge of climate change by exploring how psychological qualities and meditation practices may influence pro-environmental behavior among decision-makers, by surveying 185 participants. The research found that meditation practices and compassion toward others are linked to more pro-environmental actions. Nature connectedness emerged as a key factor related to enhanced mindfulness, compassion toward others and self, and environmental efforts. Additionally, pro-environmental efforts at work were related to more engagement across the organization, including management. These findings highlight the potential of integrating personal growth practices into sustainability promoting strategies, suggesting that fostering compassion and mindfulness may support pro-environmental action. Technical summary Current policy approaches addressing climate change have been insufficient. Integrative approaches linking inner and outer factors of behavior change, both at the private and organizational level, have been called for. The aim of the present study was thus to conceptualize and test a model of interlinkages between trainable transformative psychological qualities, meditation practice, wellbeing, stress, and pro-environmental behaviors in the private and organizational context, among decision-makers (N = 185) who responded to a survey of self-completion measures covering the topics above. Results show that meditation practices and longer practice duration were associated with more pro-environmental behavior, mindfulness facets, and wellbeing. Mindfulness facets and self-compassion were associated with higher wellbeing and lower stress, but not pro-environmental behavior. Importantly, higher compassion toward others was associated with more pro-environmental behavior but was not associated with own wellbeing and stress. Greater nature connectedness was associated with more pro-environmental behavior in private- and work life, mindfulness facets, compassion toward others, self-compassion, and longer meditation duration. Furthermore, at work, personal pro-environmental efforts were associated with such efforts by others in the organization, including management, and such efforts were also associated with overall integration of sustainability work in the organization. The results can help guide future interventions. Social media summary Nature connectedness, compassion toward others, and meditation related to private and work life pro-environmental behaviors.

This systematic literature review examines the relationship between Connectedness to Nature (CN) and Pro-Environmental Behaviors (PEBs). Considering the worsening climate change and the current climate emergency, pro-environmental behavior has gained significant attention in the literature. PEBs aim to minimize negative impacts and maximize positive impacts on the environment. Researchers have focused on the Connectedness to Nature as a potential driver of Pro-Environmental Behavior. However, there is no universally agreed definition of this construct, which can be understood as a profound connection with nature. The primary aim of this study is to investigate the existence of a relationship between Connectedness to Nature (CN) and Pro-Environmental Behaviors (PEBs). To determine if such a relationship be identified, this study further attempts to clarify its direction and assess the magnitude of this association. This literature review was conducted following the PRISMA guidelines (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses). To identify relevant studies, we searched multiple academic databases, including Google Scholar, PubMed, Sociological Abstracts, PsycArticles, PsycINFO, Science Direct, and Academic Search Complete. The search strategy involved the use of the keywords: “Connectedness to Nature” and “Pro-Environmental Behavior”. The search process yielded a total of 2280 records after the removal of duplicates. Among these, only 29 studies met the established inclusion criteria and were therefore selected for analysis. The findings reported in the reviewed literature consistently indicate the existence of a significant and positive relationship between Connectedness to Nature (CN) and Pro-Environmental Behaviors (PEBs), although this association appears to exhibit considerable variability across studies. Overall, individual Pro-Environmental Behaviors showed a stronger association with Connectedness to Nature (CN) compared to activism-related behaviors. The findings of this review highlight the potential value, for practitioners engaged in environmental protection, of promoting and enhancing individuals’ connectedness to the natural world. Strengthening CN may represent an effective strategy to foster Pro-Environmental Behaviors, particularly in relation to sustainable consumption practices and recycling activities.

This systematic literature review examines the relationship between Connectedness to Nature (CN) and Pro-Environmental Behaviors (PEB). Considering the worsening climate change and the current climate emergency, pro-environmental behavior has gained significant attention in the literature. PEBs aim to minimize negative impacts and maximize positive impacts on the environment. Researchers have focused on connectedness to nature as a potential driver of pro-environmental behavior. However, there is no universally agreed definition of this construct, which can be understood as a profound connection with nature. The review of the literature was carried out by the PRISMA method (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis). To access the literature we consulted Google Scholar, PubMed, Sociological Abstracts, PsycArticles, PsycInfo, Science Direct, and Academic Search Complete databases, inserting as keywords: "connectedness to nature" and "pro-environmental behavior". The search returned 2,280 results after duplicate removal. Of these 2,280 total results only 29 articles were selected based on the following inclusion criteria: (1) indexed articles on the selected databases (2) publication date until July 2022, (3) empirical study, (4) published in journals, conference proceedings, or as a Master’s degree or Doctoral thesis, (5) written in English or Italian, (6) Two keywords had to be present in the abstract: "connectedness to nature" and "pro-environmental behavior", (7) the studies had to evaluate the relationship between connectedness to nature and pro-environmental behavior. The reported results have clearly shown the presence of a significant and positive relationship between CN and PEB, however with great variability. On average, individual PEBs were more strongly associated with CN than activism PEBs.

Safeguarding planetary health for southeast Asia's future children

Nature connection, pro-environmental behaviours and wellbeing: Understanding the mediating role of nature contact

Addressing environmental issues requires enhancing pro-environmental behaviors (PEBs). This study examines the relationship between engagement with natural beauty (ENB) and PEBs, focusing on the mediating roles of awe and connectedness to nature (CN). A total of 387 participants from 17 provinces in China completed self-report measures via an online survey platform, assessing ENB, awe, CN, and PEBs. All scales used were well-established, with internal consistencies ranging from 0.79 to 0.89. Structural equation modeling showed that ENB significantly predicts PEBs, with awe and CN as parallel mediators. Additionally, ENB predicts PEBs through a serial mediation pathway involving both awe and CN. These findings enhance the understanding of the ENB-PEB relationship, offering new theoretical perspectives and practical implications. Specifically, promoting exposure to and appreciation of natural beauty can increase ENB, encouraging more pro-environmental behaviors.

Purpose Environmental interpretation is vital in promoting pro-environmental behavior in national parks, yet the emotional and cognitive mechanisms through which different types of interpretation work remain under-researched. Addressing this gap, this study draws on the cognitive-affective system theory and cognition–affection–behavior (CAB) model to investigate how responsibility-based versus knowledge-based interpretation affects pro-environmental behavior via distinct emotional pathways. Design/methodology/approach A sequential mixed-methods design was used, consisting of a textual analysis of 2,822 online reviews and two controlled experiments (onsite and scenario-based). The first phase identified key cognitive and emotional themes to guide the design of interpretation materials. The second phase tested the effects of interpretation types on pro-environmental behavior, incorporating mediating (awe, nature connection) and moderating (environmental cognition) variables within the CAB framework. Findings The results showed that responsibility-based interpretation significantly increases pro-environmental behavioral intention compared to knowledge-based interpretation; nature connection plays a direct mediating role, while awe emotion indirectly influences pro-environmental behavior through nature connection, forming a sequential mediation path; and environmental cognition positively moderates the effects of environmental interpretation on both emotions and subsequent behavioral outcomes. Originality/value The contribution of this study includes the following: it highlights the stronger behavioral impact of responsibility-based compared to knowledge-based interpretation in national parks; it identifies a novel sequential mediation mechanism where awe influences behavior indirectly through nature connection and establishes nature connection as a central psychological pathway; and it introduces environmental cognition as a key moderator, extending the CAB framework. These insights offer an integrated emotional–cognitive framework that advances theoretical understanding of interpretation and provides practical implications for designing more effective visitor communication strategies in tourism settings.

Purpose of ReviewThe review examines recent scientific discussion on the concepts and measurements of human connection to nature (CTN) and pro-environmental behaviour (PEB). In addition to that, we explore the environmental contexts in which study populations are exposed to nature or nature experiences, particularly the contexts in which forests emerge from these studies, and lastly outline gaps in research.Recent FindingsOutlining the association between CTN and PEB has been widely researched over the past 5 years. The concepts and measurements referring to these terms vary, but a few commonly used concepts were identified. The review classifies the approaches used for exploring the relationship between CTN and PEB into four categories. The review indicates that the interconnection between CTN and PEB is mostly studied as a part of the wider concept. Approximately half of the reviewed articles explored the actual exposure to some natural environment or nature activity either directly or indirectly. Forests only played a small role as a natural environment in the reviewed articles.SummaryForests appear to be of very little weight or under-represented in CTN and PEB literature as an explicitly identified natural environment. Results also indicate that the human-forest relationship has not been defined precisely in empirically based scientific literature. The paper discusses implications for the future research focusing on emphasizing the role of forests as natural environments in the research of CTN and PEB.

Despite growing concern about climate change, there remains a significant gap between individuals' environmental concern and their actual behaviour. Humans' personal relationship with nature is a key contributor to pro‐environmental behaviour (PEB), which may account for this gap. Those individuals with high levels of sensory processing sensitivity (SPS), approximately 25%–30% of the population, have a particularly strong connection with the natural world and have a ‘pause to check’ attitude that may make them more prone to consider future consequences of actions. We hypothesise that (1) a disposition to experience awe, characterizing high SPS, mediates the association between the trait and connectedness to nature (CN); (2) SPS is associated with PEB, and CN mediates the association; and (3) consideration for future consequences also mediates the association between high SPS and PEB. 807 participants completed an online survey including validated measures of SPS, CN, awe, PEB and consideration for future consequences. Correlational and mediational analyses were performed to test the hypotheses. The study showed that the relationship between SPS and CN was mediated by awe. The relationship between SPS and PEB was independently mediated by CN and consideration for future consequences. Policy implications. The UN Sustainable Development Goals were set to reduce inequalities (SDG 10) by considering individual differences, as well as improving climate action (SDG 13). This study shows that psychological dimensions such as sensory processing sensitivity (SPS) are linked to pro‐environmental behaviour (PEB) through future‐oriented thinking and feeling connected with nature. These results also suggest that cultivating connectedness to nature and training those with lower SPS to consider future consequences of actions may be a potential avenue to improve PEB. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.

Following indications from international organizations, this study tests the associations between the five domains of social, emotional, and behavioral (SEB) skills (self-management, innovation, social engagement, cooperation, and emotional resilience) and two key antecedents of proenvironmental behavior, namely nature connectedness and self-perceived action competence for sustainability, in a sample of 702 students aged between 12 and 20 years (M = 16.18, SD = 2.15; 319 males). Results showed that innovation skills and—to a lesser extent—self-management and cooperation skills are positively associated with both nature connectedness and action competence. An additional exploratory path analysis suggested that the association between SEB (innovation, self-management, and cooperation) skills and proenvironmental behavior could bemediated by action competence and nature connectedness. The study offers new insights into the antecedents of proenvironmental attitudes and behaviors in youth.

Pro-environmental behavior (PEB) is crucial for achieving a sustainable future. Although prior research has investigated the relationship between virtual nature exposure and PEB, empirical findings have been inconsistent; some studies suggest a positive association, while others report null effects. Furthermore, the use of laboratory tasks to assess PEB often risks conflating it with cooperative behavior, potentially undermining the validity of the conclusions. To address these limitations, this study employed a double-randomization design, utilizing the Greater Good Game (GGG) as a measure of PEB. This research comprised two main studies, each consisting of two sub-studies. Study 1 examined the direct effect of virtual nature exposure on PEB (Study 1a) and the moderating role of familiarity with nature exposure (Study 1b). Study 2 included two phases: Study 2a investigated the effects of familiarity with nature exposure on both nature connectedness and PEB, while Study 2b implemented a randomized pre–post-intervention design to manipulate nature connectedness and examine its causal effect on PEB. Results indicated that virtual nature exposure more effectively enhanced PEB when participants were exposed to familiar virtual environments, and nature connectedness mediated this relationship. These findings provide insights into the reasons for previous inconsistencies and offer valuable practical implications for educational programs and policies aimed at promoting sustainable behaviors.

Healthcare professionals play a vital role in addressing planetary health; however, their proenvironmental behaviour (PEB) remains underexplored, particularly in Pakistan. The study aimed to assess healthcare professionals' knowledge and attitudes regarding planetary health and the new ecological paradigm (NEP) and to determine the PEB of healthcare professionals. The cross-sectional study was conducted in Rawalpindi and Islamabad, Pakistan, from July to November 2024. A total of 307 healthcare professionals filled out a structured questionnaire. Spearman's correlation was used to assess the relationship between knowledge of planetary health and the NEP, as well as PEB. The mean age of participants was 40±11.4 years. Regarding knowledge, 238 (77.5%) of participants agreed that environmental problems have a direct impact on human health. The majority, 283 (92.2%), expressed their concern about climate change. Most respondents recognised the limits to Earth's resources (268; 87.3%), agreed that humans are abusing the environment (260; 84.7%) and expressed concern about ecological crises (280; 91.3%). Almost 85% (261 respondents) thought that encouraging sustainable healthcare practices is necessary for both present and future generations. PEBs included frequent recycling, conserving water and educating others about environmental impacts, as mentioned by 249 (81.1%) respondents. A highly significant, positive correlation was observed between participants' endorsement of the NEP and their PEB, specifically in 'day-to-day activities' (correlation coefficient=0.47, p value<0.001), as well as between NEP and attitude (correlation coefficient=0.45, p value<0.001). Knowledge about planetary health and the NEP has a positive influence on environmental attitudes and PEBs. Similarly, environmental attitudes have a positive impact on PEBs.

From childhood blue space exposure to adult environmentalism: The role of nature connectedness and nature contact

Embodying nature in immersive virtual reality: Are multisensory stimuli vital to affect nature connectedness and pro-environmental behaviour?