Smith, Pauline (2023) Nature Connectedness: What do we know and what could we know? In: Proceedings of Relating Systems Thinking and Design Volume: RSD12, 06-20 Oct 2023.

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Abstract

A narrative review and research agenda
The current climate and biodiversity crises will necessitate deep changes in behaviour in order to be resolved. The experience of nature connectedness has been the focus of much exploration as a tool that could help shift individual behaviours: indeed, nature connectedness is linked to both well-being and pro-conservation, environmentally friendly behaviours (Barragan-Jason et al., 2023). Nature connectedness can be encouraged through positive experiences of contact with nature, with education about the natural world and encouraging people to consider the importance of nature in their lives (Sheffield et al., 2022).

Nevertheless, nature connectedness remains a fluid and insufficiently understood phenomenon: it can refer to several constructs of attachment to specific places, subjective experiences, or psychological traits of individuals (Ives et al., 2017).

Little is known about the mechanisms underlying nature connectedness as a psychological trait, and it may have been studied in populations that are too homogeneous to allow for sufficient generalisation. Indeed, most studies on this phenomenon have focused on people in Western countries who approach nature as a place of leisure. The research done outside of this setting has yielded contrasting results, calling into question the idea of nature connectedness as a human universal. For example, the only study of nature connectedness in a nomad pastoral population shows that they report a lower connectedness with nature than people from neighbouring villages (Marczak & Sorokowski, 2017), contrasting with reports that farmers show higher connectedness than other rural residents (Kohler et al., 2014).

This paper aims to summarise what is currently known about the underpinnings of nature connectedness as a psychological trait and outline the edges at which this concept may meet its limits. Indeed, a better understanding of what this connectedness can mean in a different context for people who have different relationships with nature is an important step towards understanding human-nature relationships in a non-Western-centric context and changing these relationships for the better.

Item Type:	Conference/Workshop Item (Paper)
Uncontrolled Keywords:	nature connectedness, environmental psychology, experiences of nature, well-being, sustainable behaviour
Divisions:	Faculty of Design
Date Deposited:	11 Mar 2026 20:54
Last Modified:	11 Mar 2026 21:00
URI:	https://openresearch.ocadu.ca/id/eprint/4939

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