Spending time in nature often leads to relaxation and a sense of well-being. Journal of Environmental Psychology Not only is contact with nature good for our physical and mental health, it has been shown to promote prosocial behavior — behavior that is intended to benefit others. Across five methodologically diverse studies, the researchers consistently found that exposure to nature increases prosociality, primarily via a sense of self-transcendence.
Research has consistently shown that exposure to nature reduces stress, improves mood, and promotes overall mental health. Additionally, contact with nature is associated with increased cooperation and environmentally sustainable behaviors.
In a new study, researchers sought to determine whether the positive effects of contact with nature on prosocial behavior (behavior intended to benefit others or groups) could be observed across environmental contexts. They were particularly interested in identifying the underlying mechanisms by which contact with nature promotes prosociality.
The first two studies (Study 1a and Study 1b) used correlational analysis to examine the relationship between nature contact and prosocial behavior. Study 1a involved 339 community members recruited online. Participants completed a questionnaire assessing their daily nature contact, nature connectedness, and prosocial tendencies. Nature contact was measured using the Nature Contact Questionnaire, which included items such as “In the last week, have you bought dried or artificial flowers to decorate your room?”
Nature connectedness was measured with the Nature Connectedness Scale, which includes items such as, “I feel part of the larger natural world, like a tree in a forest.” Prosocial tendencies were assessed with the Prosocial Tendencies Scale, which assesses statements such as, “I tend to help people who are really in trouble or who are in desperate need of help.”
Results from Study 1a indicate a significant positive association between nature contact, nature connectedness, and prosocial tendencies. Mediation analyses found that nature connectedness partially explains the relationship between nature contact and prosocial behavior.
Study 1b involved 360 organizational employees who completed a similar questionnaire to Study 1a. In addition to measuring contact with nature and prosocial tendencies, the study also assessed self-transcendence and materialism. Self-transcendence was measured with items such as “I feel, to a higher degree, that we all share a common bond,” and materialism was measured with items such as “I envy people who have expensive houses, cars, and clothes.”
The results of Study 1b showed that both self-transcendence and reduced materialism mediated the positive effect of contact with nature on prosocial behavior. The relationships between contact with nature, self-transcendence, and reduced materialism were significant, suggesting that these factors play a role in enhancing prosocial tendencies.
Studies 2 and 3 employed an experimental design to causally test the effects of exposure to nature on prosocial behavior. In Study 2, 194 university students were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: a nature video, an urban video, or a blank screen (control). After watching a six-minute video, participants completed tasks that measured prosocial behavior, such as willingness to donate to charity and participating in a prisoner’s dilemma game. They also assessed feelings of self-transcendence and connectedness to nature.
Results from Study 2 indicated that participants who watched the nature video had higher self-transcendence and were more willing to donate to charity than participants who watched the city or control videos. The nature exposure condition also increased cooperation in the Prisoner’s Dilemma game. Mediation analyses revealed that self-transcendence, but not nature connectedness, significantly mediated the relationship between nature exposure and prosocial behavior.
Study 3 employed a similar experimental design with 188 university students. Participants were again randomly assigned to watch either the nature, urban, or control video. They then participated in a trust game and a real-life helping situation to measure actual prosocial behavior. Additionally, participants completed questionnaires to assess self-transcendence, connectedness to nature, and materialism.
Results from Study 3 showed that participants in the nature contact condition exhibited greater trust and more helping behavior compared to participants in the urban or control conditions. Mediation analyses showed that self-transcendence and reduced materialism significantly mediated the effects of nature contact on prosocial behavior, but nature connectedness did not.
Study 4 extended the research to a real-world setting by having participants take part in a five-day photography task. A total of 201 organizational employees were recruited and randomly assigned to take photographs of natural scenes, urban scenes, or without any specific instructions (free condition).
Before and after the five-day task, participants completed a nature contact questionnaire to measure their level of contact with nature. After the task, participants played a public goods game to measure their contributions to shared resources. Participants also completed questionnaires assessing their connectedness to nature, self-transcendence, and materialism.
The results of Study 4 showed that participants in the nature contact condition perceived higher levels of nature contact after the task compared to before the task, and also showed stronger connectedness to nature, higher self-transcendence, lower materialism, and stronger prosocial behavior in the public goods game compared to participants in the urban contact condition.
Interestingly, there were no significant differences between the nature contact and free contact conditions, suggesting that some form of increased engagement with the environment may promote prosocial behavior. Mediation analyses showed that self-transcendence, connectedness to nature, and reduced materialism mediated the relationship between nature contact and prosocial behavior, although the effects were more consistent for self-transcendence.
“Across five studies using diverse designs and measures of manipulation and prosociality, the current research consistently found that contact with nature was effective in promoting prosociality,” the researchers concluded. “Self-transcendence was found to be a key and reliable mediator of this effect, while the mediating roles of nature connectedness and materialism were partially supported. The findings from this study are valuable in advancing our conceptual understanding of the relationship between nature and human behavior.”
the study, “Contact with nature promotes prosociality: The mediating roles of self-transcendence, nature connectedness, and materialism.The authors of this book are Dongmei Mei, Ding Yang, Tong Li, Xin Zhang, Kang Rao, and Liman Man Wai Li.
