Spending time in nature is often associated with relaxation and well-being. A recent study published in the Journal of Environmental Psychology reveals that nature contact not only benefits physical and mental health but also fosters prosocial behaviors — actions intended to benefit others. Through five methodologically diverse studies, researchers consistently found that exposure to nature increases prosociality, primarily mediated by a sense of self-transcendence.
Previous studies have consistently shown that exposure to nature can reduce stress, improve mood, and enhance overall mental well-being. Additionally, nature contact has been linked to increased cooperation and environmentally sustainable behaviors.
In their new study, the researchers sought to investigate whether the positive effects of nature contact on prosocial behaviors—actions intended to benefit others or the collective—could be observed beyond environmental contexts. They were particularly interested in identifying the underlying mechanisms through which nature contact might promote prosociality.
The first two studies (Study 1a and Study 1b) employed correlational methodologies to examine the relationship between nature contact and prosocial behaviors. Study 1a involved 339 community members who were recruited online. Participants completed surveys assessing their daily nature contact, nature connectedness, and prosocial tendencies. Nature contact was measured using the Nature Contact Questionnaire, which included items like “Last week, you bought flowers to decorate the room, either dried or fake flowers.”
Nature connectedness was measured with the Connectedness to Nature Scale, which included items such as “I feel embedded in the broader natural world, like a tree in a forest.” Prosocial tendencies were assessed with the Prosocial Tendencies Measure, which asked participants to rate statements like “I tend to help people who are really in trouble or desperate need of help.”
The results of Study 1a revealed significant positive associations between nature contact, nature connectedness, and prosocial tendencies. Mediation analysis showed that nature connectedness partially explained the relationship between nature contact and prosocial behaviors.
Study 1b focused on 360 organizational employees who also completed surveys similar to those in Study 1a. In addition to measuring nature contact and prosocial tendencies, this study included assessments of self-transcendence and materialism. Self-transcendence was measured with items like “I feel that on a higher level, all of us share a common bond,” while materialism was assessed with items such as “I envy people who have expensive houses, cars, and clothes.”
The findings from Study 1b indicated that both self-transcendence and reduced materialism mediated the positive effects of nature contact on prosocial behaviors. The relationships between nature contact, self-transcendence, and reduced materialism were significant, suggesting that these factors play a role in enhancing prosocial tendencies.
Study 2 and Study 3 utilized experimental designs to causally test the impact of nature contact on prosocial behaviors. In Study 2, 194 college students were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: viewing a nature video, an urban video, or a blank screen (control). After watching the six-minute videos, participants completed tasks to measure prosocial behaviors, such as willingness to donate to a charity and participation in a prisoner’s dilemma game. They also rated their feelings of self-transcendence and nature connectedness.
The results of Study 2 demonstrated that participants who watched nature videos reported higher self-transcendence and were more willing to donate to charity compared to those who watched urban or control videos. The nature contact condition also led to higher cooperation in the prisoner’s dilemma game. Mediation analyses revealed that self-transcendence, but not nature connectedness, significantly mediated the relationship between nature contact and prosocial behaviors.
Study 3 followed a similar experimental design with 188 college students. Participants were again randomly assigned to watch nature, urban, or control videos. Afterward, they engaged in a trust game and real helping situations to measure actual prosocial behaviors. Additionally, they completed surveys to assess self-transcendence, nature connectedness, and materialism.
The findings from Study 3 indicated that participants in the nature contact condition demonstrated greater trust and more helping behavior compared to those in the urban or control conditions. Mediation analyses showed that self-transcendence and reduced materialism significantly mediated the effects of nature contact on prosocial behaviors, whereas nature connectedness did not.
Study 4 extended the investigation into a real-world setting by having participants engage in a five-day photo-taking task. A total of 201 organizational employees were recruited and randomly assigned to take photos of nature scenes, urban scenes, or without specific instructions (free condition).
Before and after the five-day task, participants completed the Nature Contact Questionnaire to measure their level of nature contact. Following the task, they participated in a public goods game, which measured their contributions to a shared resource. They also completed surveys assessing nature connectedness, self-transcendence, and materialism.
The results of Study 4 showed that participants in the nature contact condition perceived a higher level of nature contact after the task compared to before. They also demonstrated stronger nature connectedness, greater self-transcendence, lower materialism, and greater prosocial behavior in the public goods game compared to those in the urban contact condition.
Interestingly, there was no significant difference between the nature contact and free contact conditions, suggesting that any form of increased engagement with the environment might enhance prosocial behaviors. Mediation analyses indicated that self-transcendence, nature connectedness, and reduced materialism mediated the relationship between nature contact and prosocial behaviors, though the effects were more consistent for self-transcendence.
“Through five studies with diverse designs and measures for manipulation and prosociality, the current research consistently found a facilitative effect of nature contact on prosociality,” the researchers concluded. “It was found that self-transcendence was the key and reliable mediator of this effect, while the mediating roles of nature connectedness and materialism were partially supported. The findings of this research are valuable for deepening the conceptual understanding of the nature-human behavior relationship.”
The study, “Nature contact promotes prosociality: The mediating roles of self-transcendence, nature connectedness, and materialism,” was authored by Dongmei Mei, Ding Yang, Tong Li, Xin Zhang, Kang Rao, and Liman Man Wai Li.