Nat
ure
Rel
ated
ness
and
the
Hap
py P
ath
to S
usta
inab
ility
Eliz
abet
h (L
isa)
Nis
bet
N
atur
e H
eals
Con
fere
nce,
Mar
ch 1
4-15
, 201
3
W
hy p
sych
olog
y?
En
viro
nmen
tal s
usta
inab
ility
In
divi
dual
diff
eren
ces i
n na
ture
rela
tedn
ess
R
esea
rch:
- wel
l-bei
ng/h
appi
ness
- s
usta
inab
le b
ehav
iour
Im
plic
atio
ns a
nd a
pplic
atio
n
Why
psy
chol
ogy?
H
uman
beh
avio
ur in
fluen
ces t
he e
nviro
nmen
t
En
viro
nmen
tal p
robl
ems a
ffec
t hum
an h
ealth
W
hat m
otiv
ates
env
ironm
enta
l beh
avio
ur
Det
erm
inan
ts o
f Env
iron
men
tal B
ehav
iour
St
ruct
ural
fact
ors:
SES
, geo
grap
hy, i
nfra
stru
ctur
e
Ps
ycho
logi
cal f
acto
rs: n
orm
s, gu
ilt, h
elpl
essn
ess
Do
We
Nee
d N
atur
e?
E.
O. W
ilson
’s B
ioph
ilia
Hyp
othe
sis
Ev
olut
iona
ry h
isto
ry
Su
gges
tive
evid
ence
:
nat
ure
scen
es, p
ets,
outd
oor a
ctiv
ities
, ga
rden
ing,
zoo
s, of
fice
wor
kers
/pla
nts
Cog
nitiv
e bi
ophi
lia
(e.g
., sm
art a
s a ..
.)
Adv
ertis
ing,
AA
T, e
mpr
ical
evi
denc
e
Indi
vidu
al d
iffer
ence
s?
Do
We
Nee
d N
atur
e?
Mea
suri
ng C
onne
cted
ness
: T
he N
atur
e R
elat
edne
ss S
cale
In
divi
dual
diff
eren
ces i
n su
bjec
tive
conn
ecte
dnes
s
C
ogni
tive,
aff
ectiv
e, p
hysi
cal r
elat
ions
hip
with
nat
ure
Sam
ple
Item
s:
My
rela
tions
hip
to n
atur
e is
an
impo
rtant
par
t of w
ho I
am
I fee
l ver
y co
nnec
ted
to a
ll liv
ing
thin
gs a
nd th
e ea
rth.
Ani
mal
s, bi
rds,
and
plan
ts sh
ould
hav
e fe
wer
righ
ts th
an h
uman
s (R)
I enj
oy b
eing
out
door
s, ev
en in
unp
leas
ant w
eath
er.
I tak
e no
tice
of w
ildlif
e w
here
ver I
am
.
Val
idity
: Nat
ure
Rel
ated
Act
iviti
es
N
atur
e re
late
d pe
ople
ow
n pe
ts, b
uy o
rgan
ic,
volu
ntee
r, sp
end
time
outd
oors
A
bet
ter p
redi
ctor
of b
ehav
iour
Nat
ure
Is G
ood
For
You
Urb
an c
entre
s and
nat
ure
depr
ivat
ion
– in
terv
entio
n re
stor
ed S
E, se
lf-ef
ficac
y, p
erce
ptio
n, a
ggre
ssio
n,
empa
thy
for n
atur
e
Pla
ygro
unds
and
chi
ld d
evel
opm
ent,
wal
king
to sc
hool
(o
besi
ty/d
rivin
g vs
. opp
ortu
nity
to o
bser
ve w
ildlif
e)
Pro
xim
ity to
gre
en sp
ace
- mor
talit
y be
nefit
s, re
duce
s A
DH
D sy
mpt
oms
Nat
ure
Con
tact
/Im
ages
and
Hea
lth
Ph
ysic
al h
ealth
ben
efits
of n
atur
e an
d na
tura
l im
ages
h
ospi
tal,
pris
on st
udie
s, w
all a
rt, e
tc.
Em
piric
al e
vide
nce
for s
tress
redu
ctio
n,
rela
xatio
n, a
ttent
iona
l res
tora
tion,
ph
ysic
al h
ealin
g (e
.g.,
bloo
d pr
essu
re,
hear
t rat
e, c
ortis
ol)
Atte
ntio
n R
esto
ratio
n Th
eory
- so
ft (e
ffor
tless
) vs.
hard
(int
ense
, riv
etin
g)
fasc
inat
ion
Nat
ure
Rel
ated
ness
and
Hap
pine
ss
Li
fe sa
tisfa
ctio
n
Su
bjec
tive
Hap
pine
ss
Po
sitiv
e af
fect
Fa
scin
atio
n, a
we
N
egat
ive
affe
ct
D
epre
ssio
n
Nat
ure
Rel
ated
ness
and
Wel
l-Bei
ng
Pe
rson
al G
row
th
A
uton
omy
Pu
rpos
e
V
italit
y
A b
ette
r pre
dict
or o
f hap
pine
ss th
an e
nviro
nmen
tal
attit
udes
A d
istin
ct c
ontri
buto
r to
wel
l-bei
ng
Nat
ure
Rel
ated
Peo
ple
are
Hap
pier
St
udy
1a
Stud
y 1b
a Po
sitiv
e af
fect
.2
9**
.33*
* N
egat
ive
affe
ct
-.11
-.29*
* A
uton
omy
.28*
* .2
6**
Pers
onal
Gro
wth
.2
9**
.29*
* Pu
rpos
e in
Life
.1
9*
.23*
* En
viro
nmen
tal M
aste
ry
.09
.28*
* Se
lf A
ccep
tanc
e .1
8*
.30*
* Po
sitiv
e R
elat
ions
with
Oth
ers
.10
.22*
* Li
fe S
atis
fact
ion
.13
.24*
* *
p <
. 05,
**
p <
.01
a Pa
rtial
ling
out t
he e
ffect
s of N
EP, N
EC, E
colo
gy sc
ale
(act
ual c
omm
itmen
t/affe
ct).
Dis
tinct
Impo
rtan
ce o
f Nat
ure
Rel
ated
ness
C
ontro
lling
for C
ompo
site
of C
onne
cted
ness
–
coun
try, c
ultu
re, f
amily
, mus
ic, h
ome,
frie
nds
Nis
bet,
E. K
., &
Zel
ensk
i, J.
M. (
in p
ress
). H
appi
ness
and
feel
ing
conn
ecte
d: T
he d
istin
ct ro
le o
f na
ture
rela
tedn
ess.
Envi
ronm
ent a
nd B
ehav
ior.
(Sch
ultz
’s In
clus
ion
of N
atur
e in
Sel
f mea
sure
)
NR
’s li
nk w
ith h
appi
ness
is in
depe
nden
t of a
gen
eral
ly
conn
ecte
d pe
rson
ality
Hap
pine
ss a
nd C
onne
cted
ness
Cor
rela
tions
in th
e C
omm
unity
Sam
ple
(n =
415
)
Scal
e C
onne
ctio
n C
ompo
site
IN
S Pa
rtia
l r
INS
NR
P
arti
al r
N
R
Subj
ectiv
e H
appi
ness
.4
6***
.3
4***
.1
4**
.19*
**
.11*
Sa
tisfa
ctio
n w
ith L
ife
.44*
**
.34*
**
.15*
* .1
6**
.07
Posi
tive
Aff
ect
.43*
**
.42*
**
.26*
**
.29*
**
.22*
**
Neg
ativ
e A
ffec
t -.
25**
* -.
16**
* -.
05
-.07
-.
02
Nat
ure
Posi
tive
Aff
ect
.28*
**
.37*
**
.28*
**
.33*
**
.28*
**
Vita
lity
.44*
**
.38*
**
.20*
**
.27*
**
.20*
**
Aut
onom
y .2
5***
.2
7***
.1
7***
.2
5***
.1
9***
Pers
onal
Gro
wth
.3
0***
.3
6***
.2
6***
.3
4***
.2
9***
Purp
ose
in L
ife
.36*
**
.26*
**
.11*
.2
1***
.1
4**
Dep
ress
ion
-.29
***
-.16
***
-.02
-.
03
.03
*p <
.05,
**p
< .0
1, *
**p
<. 0
01
Nat
ure
Rel
ated
ness
at W
ork
(and
Hom
e)
Pe
rson
al g
row
th, a
gree
able
ness
, ope
nnes
s
Gre
ater
qua
lity
and
freq
uenc
y of
out
door
/nat
ure
time
N
atur
e/ou
tdoo
r tim
e re
late
d to
: po
sitiv
e em
otio
ns
(hom
e A
ND
wor
k), p
rodu
ctiv
ity (w
ork
and
pers
onal
go
als)
, job
and
life
satis
fact
ion
Sp
illov
er o
f nat
ure
bene
fits f
rom
leis
ure
to w
ork
Can
We
Cha
nge
Nat
ure
Rel
ated
ness
?
Ec
olog
ical
kno
wle
dge/
liter
acy
Lo
ngitu
dina
l stu
dy o
f env
ironm
enta
l edu
catio
n st
uden
ts, c
ompa
red
to c
ontro
ls
C
hang
es in
nat
ure
rela
tedn
ess,
envi
ronm
enta
l atti
tude
s, w
ell-b
eing
, ove
r 3 m
onth
s
Cha
nge
in V
italit
y &
Sus
tain
able
Att
itude
s
Cou
rse
(E
nv. v
s. C
ontro
l)
Nat
ure
Rel
ated
ness
Vita
lity
&
Sust
aina
bilit
y
(The
Nat
ure
Rel
ated
Pat
h to
Hap
pine
ss) (
Nis
bet e
t al.,
200
9, 2
011)
But
cle
arly
mor
e w
ork
to b
e do
ne o
n ‘in
terv
entio
ns’
Tr
ait l
evel
con
nect
ion
is a
ssoc
iate
d w
ith m
ore
natu
re c
onta
ct a
nd (s
ome
type
s) w
ell-b
eing
N
atur
e ex
perie
nces
link
ed w
ith w
ell-b
eing
Po
tent
ial b
enef
its o
f “st
ate”
rela
tedn
ess?
W
hat a
bout
nea
rby
natu
re, d
iffer
ence
s in
built
and
na
tura
l env
ironm
ents
?
Nat
ure
Con
tact
and
Hap
pine
ss
Wal
king
Stu
dy 1
U
nive
rsity
stud
ents
– “
impr
essi
ons o
f cam
pus”
R
ando
m a
ssig
nmen
t to
indo
or o
r out
door
wal
k
A
utum
n, a
ll no
n-ra
iny
days
Po
st-w
alk
wel
l-bei
ng: “
How
do
you
feel
righ
t now
?”
Si
mila
r met
hodo
logy
as s
tudy
1, b
ut a
dded
...
Pr
e-w
alk
affe
ctiv
e fo
reca
stin
g - p
redi
ctio
ns o
f ha
ppin
ess (
posi
tive/
nega
tive
affe
ct)
St
ate
happ
ines
s mea
sure
d af
ter w
alk
Wal
king
Stu
dy 2
R
eplic
ated
resu
lts fr
om st
udie
s 1 a
nd 2
with
diff
eren
t de
sign
R
ando
m a
ssig
nmen
t to
wal
k lo
catio
n
R
ando
m a
ssig
nmen
t to
eith
er p
redi
ct o
r exp
erie
nce
M
ood
bene
fits o
f nea
rby
natu
re a
re u
nder
estim
ated
; Fo
reca
stin
g er
rors
occ
ur b
oth
betw
een
and
with
in
pers
on
Wal
king
Stu
dy 3
Eve
n ou
tdoo
r ed
ucat
ors e
rr in
aff
ectiv
e fo
reca
stin
g
Pred
ictio
n Pr
edic
tion
Expe
rienc
e Ex
perie
nce
3
3.5 4
Posi
tive A
ffec
t V
italit
y
Rating
Cha
ngin
g N
atur
e R
elat
edne
ss (i
n th
e sh
ort t
erm
)
C
ampu
s wal
k st
udie
s
(The
hap
py p
ath
to su
stai
nabi
lity)
(IN
S)
Loca
tion
(In
vs. O
ut)
Posi
tive A
ffect
Nat
ure
R
elat
edne
ss
Futu
re D
irec
tions
and
App
licat
ions
Inte
rven
tions
(min
imum
dos
e, la
stin
g ef
fect
s)
Ex
perim
enta
l Met
hods
(ele
men
ts/m
echa
nism
s, an
tece
dant
s)
U
rban
Des
ign
(act
ive
com
mut
ing,
hea
lth p
rom
otio
n an
d po
licy,
inte
rdis
cipl
inar
y co
llabo
ratio
n)
M
essa
ging
(fra
min
g, h
ealth
)
Nat
ure
Rel
ated
ness
Res
earc
h
Doe
s bei
ng a
‘citi
zen
scie
ntis
t’ af
fect
moo
d an
d co
nnec
tedn
ess w
ith n
atur
e?
Mor
e na
ture
rel
ated
, and
ha
ppie
r ci
tizen
scie
ntis
ts
1 2 3 4
Posi
tive A
ffect
N
egat
ive A
ffect
Fa
scin
atio
n V
italit
y
Mean
Wel
l-Bei
ng
Pre-
Trip
Post
-Trip
Ben
efits
of C
onne
cted
ness
C
ompl
emen
tary
, not
com
petin
g go
als
H
ealth
of p
eopl
e an
d th
e pl
anet
are
in
terc
onne
cted
(e.g
., ac
tive
com
mut
ing)
So
lutio
ns n
eed
inte
rdis
cipl
inar
y co
llabo
ratio
n
Jass
andr
e Ada
myk
Rob
ert H
ill
Rae
lyne
Dop
ko
M
ira L
egau
lt M
ary
Gic
k
Ste
ven
Mur
phy
Meg
an G
raha
m
L
ogan
Nea
lis
Zsuz
sa G
rand
pier
re-N
agy
Ste
phan
ie P
inea
u Je
nnife
r Rou
se
S
cott
Smed
ley
John
Zel
ensk
i So
cial
Sci
ence
s and
Hum
aniti
es R
esea
rch
Cou
ncil
Tha
nks t
o