Nature Interaction and Human Well-being: A Hypothesized Model of Feeling a Sense of Presence in Nature
Over the last three decades, there has been an increasing and convincing body of evidence for the physical and mental health benefits of interacting with nature. However, there has been surprisingly little focus on how people’s psychological states during a nature experience may influence these benefits. In this April 2020 talk, Carly Gray focused on one such psychological state: presence in nature. She discussed a new scale – the Presence in Nature Scale – and how it is currently being used in a sample of young girls. Carly then showed how the scale data can be combined with a qualitative analysis of the girls’ interactions with nature.
About the Speaker
Carly Gray is a first-year PhD student in developmental psychology at the University of Washington. She earned her BS in neuroscience and behavior from the University of Notre Dame. Her research with the Human Interaction with Nature and Technological Systems (HINTS) Lab, directed by Professor Peter Kahn, focuses on characterizing the ways in which young people interact with the natural world using what’s called an “interaction pattern approach.” A few of her questions include:
- How can we effectively engage young people in a relationship with nature to improve their mental and physical well-being and pro-environmental attitudes?
- How does bringing technology, especially digital technology, into nature affect young people’s experiences with each other and with nature?