Abstract
Nature relatedness refers to the cognitive-affective relationship with natural environments. Mindfulness is described as non-judgmental attention to the present moment and is a multi-dimensional construct consisting of interacting facets. This study aimed to clarify the mechanisms through which nature relatedness and mindfulness contribute to subjective well-being. Participants were 250 university students (Mage = 20.67, SD = 1.99, 82.4% female) who completed measures of nature relatedness, the five facets of mindfulness, positive and negative affect and life satisfaction. Mediation analyses revealed that of the five facets of mindfulness, only Non-Reactivity and Observing partially mediated the positive relationship between nature relatedness and positive affect, and fully mediated the positive relationship between nature relatedness and life satisfaction. Only Non-Reactivity was found to fully mediate the negative relationship between nature relatedness and negative affect. Findings suggest that when creating nature-based mindfulness interventions, it may be clinically useful develop skills that target mindfulness through Non-Reactivity and Observing.
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This research was funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (Joseph Armand Bombardier Canada Graduate Scholarships – Master’s).
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Appendix 1
Appendix 1
Figures Depicting Mediation Models
Model depicting the mediational role of non-reactivity on the association between nature relatedness and positive affect. *p < .05, ***p < .001
Model depicting the mediational role of non-reactivity on the association between nature relatedness and life satisfaction. *p < .05, ***p < .001
Model depicting the mediational role of non-reactivity on the association between nature relatedness and negative affect. *p < .05, ***p < .001
Model depicting the mediational role of observing on the association between nature relatedness and positive affect. *p < .05, ***p < .001
Model depicting the mediational role of observing on the association between nature relatedness and life satisfaction. *p < .05, **p < .01 ***p < .001
Model depicting the mediational role of observing on the association between nature relatedness and negative affect. ***p < .001
Model depicting the mediational role of non-judging on the association between nature relatedness and positive affect. **p < .01, ***p < .001
Model depicting the mediational role of non-judging on the association between nature relatedness and life satisfaction. *p < .05, ***p < .001
Model depicting the mediational role of non-judging on the association between nature relatedness and negative affect. ***p < .001
Model depicting the mediational role of describing on the association between nature relatedness and positive affect. *p < .05, ***p < .001
Model depicting the mediational role of describing on the association between nature relatedness and life satisfaction. *p < .05, ***p < .001
Model depicting the mediational role of describing on the association between nature relatedness and negative affect. *p < .05 ***p < .001
Model depicting the mediational role of acting with awareness on the association between nature relatedness and positive affect. ***p < .001
Model depicting the mediational role of acting with awareness on the association between nature relatedness and life satisfaction. *p < .05, ***p < .001
Model depicting the mediational role of acting with awareness on the association between nature relatedness and negative affect. ***p < .001
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Sadowski, I., Böke, N., Mettler, J. et al. Naturally mindful? The role of mindfulness facets in the relationship between nature relatedness and subjective well-being. Curr Psychol 41, 5358–5373 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-020-01056-w
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-020-01056-w