The Role of Social Relational Emotions for Human-Nature Connectedness

Petersen, Evi; Fiske, Alan Page; Schubert, Thomas W.

doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02759

Cited by 53 publications

(41 citation statements)

References 67 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…While the above factors are discussed as independent contributors to wellbeing, they are all interrelated components of a wider framework (GENIAL) and have been found to promote each other to some degree (Chen & Kee, 2008;Dadvand et al, 2016;Elavsky et al, 2005;Holt-Lunstad et al, 2010;Kok et al, 2013;Petersen et al, 2019). The nation-wide, lockdown associated with the COVID-19 pandemic in the UK provided a unique opportunity to explore the impact on and contributors to wellbeing during a time of great suffering, the focus of Second Wave Positive Psychology (PP 2.0), also described as existential positive psychology (Wong, in press.;.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Predictors of wellbeing during the COVID-19 pandemic: Key roles for gratitude and tragic optimism in a UK-based cohort.

Mead¹,

Fisher²,

Tree³

et al. 2020

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Here we examine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown on wellbeing among UK-based respondents (N = 133). We explore the extent to which variables across wellbeing domains (physical activity, gratitude, tragic optimism, social support, and nature connection) contribute to wellbeing according to our previously proposed GENIAL model. Wellbeing was significantly reduced compared to both retrospective pre-lockdown measures (d=0.55) and a Scottish sample from 2018 (d=0.39). The regression model, containing wellbeing-related variables along with age, sex, and subjective socioeconomic status, accounted for up to 50% of the variance in wellbeing. While all predictor variables were significantly associated with wellbeing in zero-order correlations, only gratitude and tragic optimism contributed significantly to the regression model. These findings provide the first evidence for the contribution of these positive psychological factors to wellbeing during the COVID-19 lockdown. Implications for wellbeing at a time of great suffering and existential positive psychology (PP2.0) are discussed.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Predictors of wellbeing during the COVID-19 pandemic: Key roles for gratitude and tragic optimism in a UK-based cohort.

Mead¹,

Fisher²,

Tree³

et al. 2020

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Self-connection is also associated with self-actualisation (Klussman et al, 2020a,b,c) and connectedness with others (Kok and Fredrickson, 2010;Kok et al, 2013), which has been described as a psychological need (Baumeister and Leary, 1995;Deci and Ryan, 2000). Social connectedness is associated with the social relational emotions including gratitude, compassion and awe, all of which are powerful determinants of prosocial behaviour (Stellar et al, 2017;Petersen et al, 2019). These emotions have been associated with higher levels of vagal function (Childre, 2004;Shiota et al, 2011;Bello et al, 2020), and recent thinking suggests that they may be involved in feelings of connection to the natural environment (Petersen et al, 2019) which are again associated with vagal nerve functioning (Richardson et al, 2016).…”

Section: Rethinking Wellbeingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The evolutionary model for the wellbeing benefits of nature (Richardson et al, 2016) features the vagus nerve within a physiologically based model of affect. Interestingly, meta-analysis (Bello et al, 2020) has demonstrated a role for the vagus nerve in feelings of compassion, an experience supporting connection to self, others and nature (Neff, 2003;Petersen et al, 2019). Compassion is often facilitated through loving kindness meditation, which builds positive emotions, promotes feelings of social connectedness and raises levels of vagal function in an upward spiral relationship (Kok et al, 2013).…”

Section: The Vagus Nerve and Wellbeingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Social identity provides meaning and purpose to one's life, facilitating feelings that one can collectively cope with the challenges. This sense of community is fostered through the promotion of social relational emotions, such as gratitude, compassion and awe, which may be linked to capacity for psychological connections to nature (Petersen et al, 2019), the topic that we turn to next.…”

Section: The Community Domain and Wellbeingmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Moving Beyond Disciplinary Silos Towards a Transdisciplinary Model of Wellbeing: An Invited Review

2021

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The construct of wellbeing has been criticised as a neoliberal construction of western individualism that ignores wider systemic issues such as inequality and anthropogenic climate change. Accordingly, there have been increasing calls for a broader conceptualisation of wellbeing. Here we impose an interpretative framework on previously published literature and theory, and present a theoretical framework that brings into focus the multifaceted determinants of wellbeing and their interactions across multiple domains and levels of scale. We define wellbeing as positive psychological experience, promoted by connections to self, community and environment, supported by healthy vagal function, all of which are impacted by socio-contextual factors that lie beyond the control of the individual. By emphasising the factors within and beyond the control of the individual and highlighting how vagal function both affects and are impacted by key domains, the biopsychosocial underpinnings of wellbeing are explicitly linked to a broader context that is consistent with, yet complementary to, multi-levelled ecological systems theory. Reflecting on the reciprocal relationships between multiple domains, levels of scale and related social contextual factors known to impact on wellbeing, our GENIAL framework may provide a foundation for a transdisciplinary science of wellbeing that has the potential to promote the wellbeing of individuals while also playing a key role in tackling major societal challenges.

show abstract

“…Moreover, Tam and Milfont [20] persuasively argue that cultural conceptions of nature enable, limit, and shape nature experiences. This argument has also explicitly been stressed for social relational emotions elicited by interactions with nature [21,22]. Grasping such cultural situatedness is of particular importance for solo settings, since the practice of being solitary as an end in itself is historically and culturally rooted.…”

Section: Solo and (Subjective) Well-beingmentioning

confidence: 99%

How Does Being Solo in Nature Affect Well-Being? Evidence from Norway, Germany and New Zealand

Petersen

Bischoff

Liedtke

et al. 2021

IJERPH

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background: Solo—being intentionally solitary in nature—is receiving growing attention as a valuable outdoor education program component. Its practice and history have been researched in the context of experiential learning, but few studies have explicitly examined how solo experiences can affect dimensions of well-being. This study investigated a broad range of well-being pathways provided by being solo, based on data from Norway, Germany, and New Zealand. Methods: Using qualitative content analysis (QCA), the solo debrief responses of 40 participants (26 females, age: 19–64 years) were analysed, applying the PERMA-V framework (emotions, engagement, relationship, meaning, achievement, and vitality). Variations in the reports were explored as a function of the national sample, gender, age, prior solo experiences and expectations. Results: The study suggests that hedonic and eudemonic well-being pathways, represented by the six PERMA-V pillars, interrelate strongly. The experience of a range of positive emotions and connecting process during solo highlights two of the most frequent findings related to well-being pathways. The secondary findings suggest minor variations in the well-being pathways for the different national samples, gender and age. Expectations and prior experiences with solo were identified as context factors with minor impact. Further, the data-driven analysis identified specific physical activities, landscape features, sense-activation, perception of time and ‘good’ weather as relevant to the specific experience. Conclusions: Solo experiences provide for well-being-related pathways in a multitude of ways, which highlights the well-being potential of solo implementation across practical fields beyond outdoor education, such as wilderness therapy, and environmental and planetary health initiatives. Future studies should continue to explore solo’s well-being potential in different settings, especially in the context of non-Western samples.

show abstract

The Role of Social Relational Emotions for Human-Nature Connectedness

Cited by 53 publications

References 67 publications

Predictors of wellbeing during the COVID-19 pandemic: Key roles for gratitude and tragic optimism in a UK-based cohort.

Predictors of wellbeing during the COVID-19 pandemic: Key roles for gratitude and tragic optimism in a UK-based cohort.

Moving Beyond Disciplinary Silos Towards a Transdisciplinary Model of Wellbeing: An Invited Review

How Does Being Solo in Nature Affect Well-Being? Evidence from Norway, Germany and New Zealand

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About