Nature connectedness is the extent to which individuals include nature as part of their identity.Schultz, P. W. (2002). "Inclusion with nature: The psychology of human-nature relations". In P. W. Schmuck & W. P. Schultz (Eds.), Psychology of sustainable development. (pp. 62-78). Norwell, MA: Kluwer Academic. It includes an understanding of nature and everything it is made up of, even the parts that are not pleasing.Nisbet, E. K., Zelenski, J. A., & Murphy, S. A. (2009). "The nature relatedness scale: Linking individuals' connection with nature to environmental concern and behaviour". Environment and Behaviour, 41, 715-740. Characteristics of nature connectedness are similar to those of a personality trait: nature connectedness is stable over time and across various situations.Nisbet, E. K., Zelenski, J. M., & Murphy, S. A. (2010). "Happiness is in our nature: Exploring nature relatedness as a contributor to subjective well-being". Journal of Happiness Studies, 12, 303-322. doi:10.1007/s10902-010-9197-7.
Schultz describes three components that make up the nature connectedness construct: The cognitive component is the core of nature connectedness and refers to how integrated one feels with nature. The affective component is an individual's sense of care for nature. The behavioral component is an individual's commitment to protect the natural environment. These three components make up nature connectedness and are required for a healthy relationship with nature. If an individual feels connected to nature (possibly by spending time in it), they may be more inclined to care about nature, and protect the environment. Recent research has found that nature exposure (and feeling connected to nature at a trait level) provides many benefits to humans such as well-being.
Other researchers describe the nature connectedness construct in a simpler manner. For instance, nature connectedness can be thought of as a love of nature (also referred to as emotional affinity toward nature).Kals, E., Schumacher, D., & Montada, L. (1999). "Emotional affinity toward nature as a motivational basis to protect nature". Environment and Behavior, 31, 178-202. doi:10.1177/00139169921972056 Similarly, nature connectedness can be defined as how much a person believes they are the same as nature (more specifically, a person's connectivity with nature)Dutcher, D. D., Finley, J. C., Luloff, A. E., & Johnson, J. B. (2007). "Connectivity with nature as a measure of environmental values". Environment and Behavior, 39, 474–493. or it can be thought of as simply feeling emotionally connected with nature. Nature connectedness (as a construct) is also known as nature relatedness, connectivity with nature, emotional affinity toward nature, or inclusion of nature in self.
Although nature relatedness is a stable individual trait, it can change based on one's experience with nature,Vinning, J., Merrick, M. S., & Price, E. A. (2008). "The distinction between humans and nature: Human perceptions of connectedness to nature and elements of the natural and unnatural". Human Ecology Review, 15, 1-11. meaning the more time an individual spends in nature, the more connected they feel to nature and the more concern they may feel for nature. Feeling connected to nature at a state level has many benefits as well such as more positive moods and less negative moods.
Even though humans derive many benefits from nature, our modern lifestyles have created a disconnect from the natural environment wherein we spend significantly more time indoors. Some researchers estimate that humans spend up to 90% of their lives indoors.Evans, G. W., & McCoy, J. M. (1998). "When buildings don't work: The role of architecture in human health". Journal of Environmental Psychology, 18, 85-94. Particularly in developed countries and countries with a high rate of urbanization, the level of connection to nature is significantly lower. This disconnection from nature can have a negative impact on humans because we are missing out on the beneficial effects of nature. As a result, we are less connected to nature and feel less responsibility to protect this environment.
Theory and biophilia Our relationship with the natural environment can be understood through the concept of biophilia and the biophilia hypothesis. This term is defined as humans' innate need to affiliate with other life such as plants and animals.Wilson, E. O. (1984). Biophilia Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. This essentially means that humans have a desire to be near nature. This built-in desire may be the result of spending the majority of our evolutionary history (over 99%) closely connected to nature. Biophilia is genetic, meaning those humans who were closely connected to nature throughout history would, presumably, have had better access to food and fresh water. For example, someone who lived close to water, near vegetation, or with a pet as a protector (e.g. dog) would have had survival advantages. Although evolutionary theory is difficult to test, the popularity of camping, hiking, and visiting the zoo,Wilson, E. O. (1993). "Biophilia and the conservation ethic". In S. Kellert & E. O. Wilson (Eds.), The biophilia hypothesis (pp. 31-41). Washington, DC: Island Press provide support for this theory.
In his 1997 book, Kellert proposed that biophilia (or being close to nature) also provides us benefits such as an increase in well-being.Kellert, S. R. (1997). Kinship to mastery: Biophilia in human evolution and development. Washington, DC:Island Press Thus, being disconnected from the natural environment should have negative effects on humans' well-being. The construct of nature connectedness is also related to a branch of psychology called ecopsychology. This branch seeks to examine how human well-being is related to the well-being of the natural environment.Roszak, T. (1992). The voice of the earth, Grand Rapids, MI: Phanes Press, 2nd edition (2001), This theory is based on the idea that the needs of humans and nature are interdependent, so human health will suffer if nature does as well.Conn, S. A. (1998). Living in the earth: Ecopsychology, health and psychotherapy. The Humanistic Psychologist, 26, 179-198.
Restoration
Many daily activities in contemporary society demand directed attention. In order to sustain that demand, effort is required to gate competing stimuli or thoughts so that one can pay attention. The constant demand of the inhibitory control may cause that directed attention to become depleted and result in attention fatigue.
Research in environmental psychology suggests that people's desire for contact with nature serves an important adaptive function, namely, psychological restoration. As yet, it remains to be empirically demonstrated that physical and psychological problems of urban living can arouse restoration needs that continuously maintain and reinforce nature-oriented preferences. One of the important aspects that environment can lead to restoration is that it has the potential to generate fascination to people; it is able to captivate so that the demand for involuntary attention of the person is lowered and the restoration can be performed. In addition to this, it should generate the feeling of being away as an escape from a certain environment or situation; extension, referring to the connection properties and environmental accessibility and compatibility between the characteristics of the environment with the goals and preferences of the individual.Kaplan, R., & Kaplan, S. (1989). The experience of Nature: A Psychological Perspective. Cambridge. New York: Camdridge University Press.
As a measurement tool
There are at least seventeen scales which measure how connected an individual feels to nature. The three most commonly used scales are Nature Relatedness, Nature Connectedness, and Inclusion of Nature in Self Scale.
The Nature Relatedness measure is a 21-item scale that measures how connected to nature participants feel at a trait level. Participants indicate their agreement with each statement using a Likert scale. There are three subscales to this measure; NR-self, NR-perspective, and NR- experience. NR-self measures how much individuals identify with nature (e.g., "I feel very connected to all living things and the earth"), NR-perspective measures how concerned individuals may feel about the effect of human actions on the environment (e.g., "Humans have the right to use natural resources any way we want"), and NR-experience measures how comfortable individuals are in nature and their desire to be involved with nature (e.g., "I enjoy being outdoors, even in unpleasant weather"). This scale shows good reliability, alpha = .87 and test-retest stability six months later, alpha = .85. There is also a brief Nature Relatedness Scale made up of six items from the original 21 items. The purpose of this scale is to measure how connected an individual feels to nature but in a shorter way. This scale shows good reliability, alpha = .87 and test-retest stability six months later, alpha = .88.Please see Nature Relatedness CUHL webpage for a copy of the scale.
The Connectedness to Nature Scale (CNS).Mayer, F. S., & Frantz, C. M. (2004). The nature connectedness scale: A measure of individuals' feeling in community with nature. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 24, 503-515 This scale measures how emotionally connected people feel to the natural world, animals, and plants. It also assesses people's perceived equality between nature and themselves. An example of an item is "I recognize and appreciate the intelligence of other living organisms." These items are rated on a Likert scale from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree) where higher scores demonstrate a higher connection to nature. This scale can be used both at the trait and state level. The state version is 13 items and shows acceptable reliability (α = .91,Mayer, F. S., Frantz, C. M., Bruehlman-Senecal, E., & Dolliver, K. (2009). Why is nature beneficial?: The role of connectedness to nature. Environment and Behavior, 41, 607-643. doi:10.1177/0013916508319745). The trait version is 14 items and also demonstrates good reliability (α = .82). This scale's validity is demonstrated by its positive associations with other environmental scales (such as the New Ecological Paradigm Scale) but is not associated with verbal ability or social desirability. See also Connectedness to nature scale.
Inclusion of Nature in Self Scale (INS) This single-item question was designed to measure the extent that individuals include nature as part of their identity. This measure uses a pair of circles with one circle labeled self and the other circle labeled nature. Participants are asked to choose the pair of circles that best describes their relationship with the natural environment. There are seven pairs of circles that differ on the extent that they overlap. Individuals who are very connected to nature choose the pair of circles that completely overlap (scored as a 7) while individuals who are not connected to nature choose circles that are non-overlapping (scored as a 1). This scale has been shown to correlate positively with the New Ecological Paradigm Revised Scale, nature relatedness and simply walking in nature. This scale can also be used to measure how connected to nature people feel in the moment (or at a state level) by changing the wording to "how interconnected are you with nature RIGHT NOW." Below is the INS scale.
Other ways to measure an individual's connection to nature include the Allo-Inclusive Scale and the Implicit Associates Test-Nature.