2021 / Health and well-being

Affective Benefits of Nature Contact: The Role of Rumination

Citation

Bratman, G. N., Young, G., Mehta, A., Lee Babineaux, I., Daily, G. C., & Gross, J. J. (2021). Affective benefits of nature contact: the role of rumination. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 643866.

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Abstract

Figure 1. Structural equation mediation model of the relationships between time in nature, rumination and positive and negative affect. Ovals denote latent variables (i.e., all but “Weekly time in nature”). Standardized coefficients are presented. *indicates path with significant relationship (α = 0.05). †Indicates path with marginally significant relationship (α = 0.10). For the “ab” paths, significance was tested with bootstrapped 95% confidence intervals. The “ab” paths indicate the indirect effect of time in nature on affect. The “c” paths indicate the total effect of time in nature on affect. The “c”’ paths indicate the direct effect of time in nature on affect.

Mounting evidence shows that nature contact is associated with affective benefits. However, the psychological mechanisms responsible for these effects are not well understood. In this study, we examined whether more time spent in nature was associated with higher levels of positive affect in general, and lower levels of negative affect and rumination in general. We also conducted a cross-sectional mediation analysis to examine whether rumination mediated the association of nature contact with affect. Participants (N = 617) reported their average time spent in nature each week, as well as their general levels of positive and negative affect, and the degree to which they typically engaged in rumination in daily life. We then used structural equation modeling to test our hypotheses. Our results support the hypothesis that nature contact is associated with general levels of affect, and that rumination mediates this association for negative affect, and marginally mediates this association for positive affect.