Creating kinship with nature and boosting well-being: testing two novel character strengths-based nature connectedness interventions

Passmore, H-A, Lumber, R ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6308-2221, Niemiec, R and Sofen, LI, 2025. Creating kinship with nature and boosting well-being: testing two novel character strengths-based nature connectedness interventions. Journal of Happiness Studies, 26 (5): 71. ISSN 1389-4978

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Abstract

We tested the efficacy of engaging in two novel randomized interventions based on character strengths and engaging with nature on boosting nature connectedness and well-being. In Study 1 (N = 134, international community adults) and Study 2 (N = 106, Canadian university students), participants were tasked with noticing how their character strengths were displayed in nature (CinN intervention). In Study 3 (N = 99, Canadian university students), participants were tasked with using their highest character strength in a new way each day to connect with nature (CSwithN intervention). A no treatment control condition was used for comparison. Both interventions significantly boosted nature connectedness (ds = 0.48, 0.66, 0.67). With respect to well-being, the CSinN intervention significantly boosted transcendent connectedness (ds = 053, 0.57), elevation (d = 0.40), and harmony in life (d = 0.48). The CSwithN intervention also significantly boosted transcendent connectedness (d = 0.43), elevation (d = 0.48), and harmony in life (d = 0.50), along with satisfaction of basic need of relatedness (d = 0.58), flourishing (d = 0.57), satisfaction with life (d = 0.44), and positive affect (d = 0.43). Beneficial effects on nature connectedness and well-being were evident despite there being no significant difference in time spent in nature compared to controls. These findings present a unique contribution to the current literature. To our knowledge, the CSinN and CSwithN interventions are the first interventions developed and tested that incorporate character strengths and engagement with nature with the dual goal of boosting nature connectedness and individual well-being.

Item Type:	Journal article
Publication Title:	Journal of Happiness Studies
Creators:	Passmore, H.-A., Lumber, R., Niemiec, R. and Sofen, L.I.
Publisher:	Springer
Date:	16 May 2025
Volume:	26
Number:	5
ISSN:	1389-4978
Identifiers:	Number Type 10.1007/s10902-025-00900-9 DOI 2441370 Other
Rights:	© the author(s) 2025. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article's Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article's Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
Divisions:	Schools > School of Social Sciences
Record created by:	Jonathan Gallacher
Date Added:	21 May 2025 09:32
Last Modified:	21 May 2025 09:32
URI:	https://irep.ntu.ac.uk/id/eprint/53634

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