A Lifecourse Perspective on Social Connectedness via Receptiveness to Nature

Citation

Rugel, E. J., Jarvis, I., Barron, S., & Wolf, K. L. (2026). A lifecourse perspective on social connectedness via receptiveness to nature. Urban Forestry & Urban Greening, 119, 129381. doi.org/10.1016/j.ufug.2026.129381

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Social isolation is a serious public-health problem, linked to higher risks of heart disease, depression, and early death. Policymakers increasingly recognize that tackling it means addressing the broader social and environmental conditions behind it. Research points to nature as a particularly important factor: a 2022 review of studies on greenspace and loneliness found benefits in two-thirds of the studies examined.

But designing and managing greenspaces that actually reduce isolation requires understanding how individual circumstances shape both people’s experiences of nature and their social interactions in everyday places. Taking a lifecourse approach, this review of the literature describes how openness to nature and social connectedness both shift systematically across the lifespan. The authors propose an “accumulative lifecourse-effects” framework, identifying childhood (ages 5–14) and young adulthood (ages 15–24) as especially sensitive periods, while noting that experiences with nature at every age shape the behaviors and beliefs that support building and maintaining social ties.

Looking closely at how this relationship plays out across four major life stages — childhood, young adulthood, adulthood (ages 25–59), and older adulthood (age 60 and up) — the authors encourage future research that applies a lifecourse lens to this field. The review also summarizes influences that matter across the lifespan, offers guidance on physical layouts of greenspace, and highlights model programs that have used nature-based interventions to reduce social isolation.

Abstract

Social isolation is a critical public-health concern, linked to a range of adverse effects, including increased risks of cardiovascular disease, depression, and premature mortality. Addressing the broad social and environmental conditions related to isolation is essential to addressing this epidemic, a fact increasingly recognized by policymakers. Research indicates that exposure to, and experiences in, nature are particularly important influences, with a 2022 systematic review on greenspace and loneliness reporting benefits in two-thirds of included studies. Effective design and management of greenspaces that reduce social isolation also requires attention to how individual factors influence both nature experiences and social interactions in everyday places. Applying a lifecourse-epidemiology approach, this literature synthesis describes how both receptiveness to nature and social connectedness systematically vary across the lifespan. We propose an accumulative lifecourse-effects framework, in which childhood (ages 5–14) and young adulthood (ages 15–24) are sensitive periods, but experiences with nature at all ages shape subsequent behaviors and beliefs essential to the development and maintenance of social ties. Elucidating the specifics of this relationship across four major stages of life (childhood, young adulthood, adulthood [ages 25–59], and older adulthood [ages 60-plus]), we encourage future research that applies a lifecourse lens to this field. In addition, we summarize a range of influences relevant across the lifespan, as well as offering a guide to physical configurations of greenspace and examples of model programs that have applied nature-based interventions to reduce social isolation.