A Peer Reviewed Journal Article in the Natural Sciences Body Image

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• Elsevier Public Health Emergency Collection
• PMC7320863

Trunk Image. 2020 Sep; 34: 201–208.

Nature exposure and positive body image: (Re-)examining the mediating roles of connexion to nature and trait mindfulness

Viren Swami

^aSchool of Psychology and Sport Science, Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge, United Kingdom

^bCentre for Psychological Medicine, Perdana University, Serdang, Malaysia

David Barron

^bCentre for Psychological Medicine, Perdana University, Serdang, Malaysia

Jennifer Todd

^aSchool of Psychology and Sport Science, Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge, United Kingdom

George Horne

^cDepartment of Psychology, University of Bathroom, Bathroom, Uk

Adrian Furnham

^dDepartment of Leadership and Organizational Behaviour, Norwegian Business School, Oslo, Norway

Received 2020 Apr five; Revised 2020 Jun 10; Accepted 2020 Jun 12.

Abstract

Previous studies have reported a meaning clan between nature exposure and positive trunk epitome, only understandings of the mechanisms that help to explain this link remain nascent. Here, we considered the extent to which trait mindfulness and connectedness to nature, respectively, mediate the aforementioned relationship both in parallel and serially. An online sample of 398 participants (199 women, 196 men, iii other; age Thou = 28.one years) from the Great britain completed measures of cocky-reported nature exposure, mindful awareness and acceptance, connectedness to nature, and body appreciation. Results indicated that inter-correlations between scores on all measures were significant and positive. Following the elimination of not-significant pathways, path analysis resulted in an adequately-plumbing equipment model in which the direct relationship betwixt nature exposure and body appreciation was significant. In add-on, connection to nature – just not trait mindfulness – significantly mediated the direct human relationship. Finally, nosotros besides found evidence of a series mediation, where the association between nature exposure and body appreciation was mediated by mindful sensation followed by connexion to nature. The implications of these results for scholarly and practitioner understanding of the impact of nature exposure on positive trunk image are discussed in decision.

Keywords: Nature exposure, Positive body image, Connectedness to nature, Mindfulness, Body appreciation

one. Introduction

For the first time in history, a majority of individuals globally live in urbanised spaces (United Nations, 2014), just urban living and decreased time spent outdoors accept been associated with increased rates of mental affliction (eastward.g., Lecic-Tosevski, 2019; Okkels, Kristiansen, & Munk-Jørgensen, 2017). In response, scholars and policy-makers have focused on understanding how natural environments – the continuum of environments from wild nature to designed greenspaces (Abraham, Sommerhalder, & Abel, 2010) – tin can support psychological health. Indeed, there is now a wealth of show to suggest that nature exposure is associated with a range of mental health benefits, including enhancements to cocky-esteem, positive affect, and cognitive operation (for reviews, see Collado, Staats, Corraliza, & Hartig, 2017; Frumkin et al., 2017; Norwood et al., 2019; van den Bosch & Bird, 2018). Importantly, these effects accept been shown to be robust across various social identity groups (for a review, Harshfield et al., 2019), which has of import implications not but for urban planning but also the pattern of therapeutic care.

As part of the research calendar on nature exposure and psychological well-beingness, some scholars accept focused specifically on the construct of positive torso image, which refers to an "overarching love and respect for the body" that includes appreciation of the torso and its functions, acceptance of the body despite its imperfections, and body-protective behaviours (Tylka, 2018, p. nine). This focus is warranted not only considering promoting healthier body image is of import in its own correct (Guest et al., 2019; Tylka & Piran, 2019), only also because of the range of benefits that are related to positive torso image. Such benefits include more than positive emotional and eudaimonic well-being (eastward.g., Davis, Fowler, Best, & Both, 2019; Swami, Weis, Barron, & Furnham, 2018), positive self-care wellness behaviours (eastward.g., Andrew, Tiggemann, & Clark, 2016; Gillen, 2015), and adaptive eating styles that are associated with lower torso mass indices and weight stability (eastward.thou., Tylka, Calogero, & Daníelsdóttir, 2015; Tylka, Calogero, & Daníelsdóttir, 2020). In short, promoting more positive body image via nature exposure may provide individuals with opportunities to optimally care for their bodies and minds.

Studies supporting a link between nature exposure and positive body image accept used a number of different methodologies. Outset, the findings of cantankerous-sectional studies take shown that self-reported nature exposure is significantly associated with indices of positive body prototype, including trunk appreciation and functionality appreciation (Swami et al., 2019; Swami, Barron, Weis, & Furnham, 2016). 2d, ane-grouping pretest-posttest studies have shown that spending fourth dimension in natural environments (eastward.g., allotments, beaches, and botanic gardens) significantly elevated land torso appreciation in samples from Malaysia, Romania, Spain, and the United kingdom of great britain and northern ireland (Swami, 2020a; Swami et al., 2020). Finally, experimental studies have shown that exposure to natural environments, but not built environments, is associated with significant elevations in state positive body image (Swami, Barron, & Furnham, 2018; run across also Rosenberg, Lange, Zebrack, Moulton, & Kosslyn, 2014). Experimental studies have also presented evidence that exposure to simulated natural environments – presented in the grade of films of a first-person walk in nature (Swami, 2020b; Swami, Pickering et al., 2018) and photographs of nature (Swami, Barron et al., 2018) – significantly elevates indices of country positive body prototype.

1 class of explanations for these influences on positive body image has focused on direct effects. For instance, it has been suggested that nature exposure may assistance individuals to distance themselves physically and mentally from contexts that are heavily appearance-focused, facilitate holistic self-care attitudes, and direct attention toward greater appreciation of the body'south functions rather than appearance (Hennigan, 2010; Holloway, Murray, Okada, & Emmons, 2014; Swami, Barron et al., 2018). Nevertheless, a multiplicity of pathways involving both direct and mediated relationships also seems likely, as has been suggested within the broader literature on nature exposure and health outcomes (e.g., Markevych et al., 2017). For example, one possible mediator of the human relationship between nature exposure and positive trunk image is connectedness to nature, which refers to a sense of oneness with nature (Mayer & Frantz, 2004). Spending time in nature is known to promote greater subjective connectedness to natural environments (Mayer, Frantz, Bruehlman-Senecal, & Dolliver, 2009) and, in turn, connection to nature may help individuals shift away from advent concerns onto more holistic embodying experiences (Holloway et al., 2014). Consequent with this theorising, previous research has shown that connectedness to nature significantly mediates the human relationship between nature exposure and trunk appreciation (Swami, Barron et al., 2016; meet also Swami, von Nordheim, & Barron, 2016).

Another construct that has been found to mediate relationships betwixt nature exposure and positive body image is cocky-pity (Swami et al., 2019). Specifically, Swami et al. (2019) found that relationships between nature exposure and positive body image (operationalised in terms of body appreciation and functionality appreciation, respectively) were mediated by the self-pity facets of self-kindness and common humanity, though not the facet of mindfulness. The finding that mindfulness did non significantly mediate the relationship between nature exposure and positive trunk paradigm is puzzling, especially given prove that the construct is significantly associated with both nature exposure (east.g., Hamann & Itzvan, 2016; Stewart & Haaga, 2018) and positive body epitome (for a review, see Cook-Cottone, 2018). Ane possibility is that the non-significant mediating result was artefactual, given that Swami et al. (2019) operationalised mindfulness equally a facet of self-compassion rather than as a multidimensional construct in its own right. Indeed, Kabat-Zinn's (1994) seminal formulation of mindfulness distinguished betwixt 2 primary features, namely mindful sensation (i.e., the regulation of attending on present-moment experiences) and mindful acceptance (i.e., the chapters to view experiences from a opinion of openness and acceptance). Of the ii mindfulness facets, mindful awareness is the more likely to mediate relationships between nature exposure and body image, given that the chapters to attend to, notice, and receive impressions from the natural globe is likely crucial for promoting a self-intendance opinion (see Harrison & Clark, 2020).

An alternative possibility is that mindfulness does non in fact mediate relationships between nature exposure and positive trunk image, but instead exerts an effect on body image indirectly via connectedness to nature. In the starting time instance, there is some show that spending time in nature may be related with greater mindfulness (Duvall, 2011a, 2011b; Passmore & Holder, 2017). In turn, greater trait mindfulness has been shown to be significantly associated with connectedness to nature (weighted effect size of r = .25; Schutte & Malouf, 2018). In particular, the non-judgemental sensation that is fundamental to trait mindfulness may allow individuals to fully appoint with nature, thus helping to promote greater connexion to nature (e.thou., Aspy & Proeve, 2017; Hanley, Bettmann, Kendrick, Deringer, & Lynn Norton, 2020; Unsworth, Palicki, & Lustig, 2016). In short, there are reasons to think that the relationship betwixt nature exposure and positive trunk epitome may be serially mediated by trait mindfulness and connection to nature, respectively. To date, however, this possibility has non been explicitly examined, though it is worthy of investigation (Swami et al., 2019).

1.ane. The present study

To summarise, the available inquiry has shown that nature exposure is reliably associated with positive torso image, only there are unresolved bug and gaps in knowledge vis-à-vis mediating pathways. As a contribution to this literature, therefore, the present report had a number of inter-connected objectives. First, we examined the extent to which connectedness to nature and trait mindfulness (operationalised here in terms of mindful awareness and mindful acceptance), respectively, significantly mediate the human relationship betwixt nature exposure and body appreciation. In this model, nosotros assume that both connexion to nature and mindfulness volition take comparable effects on body appreciation (i.e., parallel mediation), as they are conceptualised every bit being separate channels of influence (that is, we wanted to examined whether these dimensions play dissimilar, parallel roles in the relationship betwixt nature exposure and body appreciation).

Second, given previous findings showing that mindfulness does not mediate the relationship between nature exposure and positive body image, we also considered the possibility of a serial mediation. Specifically, we examined whether the relationship between nature exposure and body appreciation is mediated firstly by trait mindfulness and secondly by connectedness to nature. Here, nosotros treated the variables included in the present study as functioning within a causal chain, which seems plausible for the reasons we have discussed above. Although complete causal bondage are ofttimes unlikely (Hayes, 2017), serial mediation is important to explore to better understanding previously reported null effects (Swami et al., 2019). Finally, every bit a subsidiary objective, we also aimed to replicate previous cross-sectional work (Swami et al., 2019; Swami, Barron et al., 2016) documenting a direct link betwixt nature exposure and positive trunk image (operationalised here as body appreciation). A graphical representation of the hypothesised relationships is presented in Fig. i .

Hypothesised relationships between nature exposure, trait mindfulness (credence and awareness), connection to nature, and body appreciation.

2. Method

2.i. Participants

The initial participant pool consisted of 402 individuals, simply 4 participants who failed an attending-check item in the survey were excluded. The final sample, therefore, consisted of 199 individuals who identified as women, 196 as men, and three as other. Participants ranged in age from xviii to 67 years (M = 28.05, SD = ix.47) and in body mass index (BMI) from 14.74 to 46.67 kg/m² (Thou = 24.73, SD = v.30). The majority of participants identified every bit being of British White beginnings (84.seven %; British Asian = vii.0 %; African Caribbean = 2.five %; mixed = two.three %; other = 3.five %). In terms of educational attainment, nineteen.six % had completed secondary schooling, 40.i % had an undergraduate degree, 23.2 % had a postgraduate degree, 14.4 % were all the same in full-time college instruction, and 2.8 % had some other qualification.

2.2. Measures

two.two.one. Body appreciation

To measure body appreciation, we used the 10-item Body Appreciation Scale (BAS-ii; Tylka & Wood-Barcalow, 2015), which measures acceptance of one's torso, respect and care for one's torso, and protection of one'due south body from unrealistic beauty standards (sample item: "I respect my torso"). All items were rated on a 5-point scale, ranging from ane (never) to v (ever), and an overall score was computed equally the mean of all items. BAS-2 scores have been shown to accept a 1-dimensional cistron structure and take been judged as adequate in terms of internal consistency estimates, test-retest reliability after 3 weeks, and indices of convergent and discriminant validity in English language-speaking adults (Tylka & Woods-Barcalow, 2015). In this study, ω for scores on this scale was .94 (95 % CI = .93, .95).

ii.2.2. Nature exposure

Nature exposure was measured using the Nature Exposure Scale (NES; Kamitsis & Francis, 2013). This is a iv-item scale that measures an individual'due south level of exposure to nature in everyday life and activities, and levels of exposure to nature outside of everyday environments (sample item: "How much practice yous notice the natural environments in your everyday life?"). Response anchors varied depending on the particular, but all included 5-point scales. An overall score of nature exposure was computed as the mean of all iv items. Scores on the NES have been shown to take a 1-dimensional factor structure (Swami, Barron et al., 2016) and adequate internal consistency and benchmark validity in English language-speaking adults (Kamitsis & Francis, 2013). In this written report, ω for NES scores was .73 (95 % CI = .70, .76).

2.2.3. Mindfulness

Trait mindfulness was measured using the 20-detail Philadelphia Mindfulness Scale (PMS; Cardaciotto et al., 2008), which measures distinct facets of present-centred awareness (10 items; sample item: "I am aware of what thoughts are passing through my mind") and acceptance (x items; sample item: "I effort to distract myself when I feel unpleasant emotions"). Items were rated on a 5-point scale ranging from i (never) to 5 (very often) and subscale scores were computed as the mean of relevant items. Scores on the PMS take been shown to exist bi-dimensional with adequate internal reliability and good construct validity in English-speaking adults (Cardaciotto et al., 2008). Here, ω was .73 (95 % CI = .69, .77) for awareness scores and .72 (95 % CI = .86, .76) for acceptance scores.

2.two.4. Connexion to nature

The survey bundle included the 14-item Connectedness to Nature Calibration (CNS; Mayer & Frantz, 2004). This is a widely-used musical instrument that measures an individual's melancholia and experiential connection to nature (sample item: "I oft feel a sense of oneness with the natural globe around me"). Items were rated on a v-point scale, ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly concord). An overall CNS score was computed as the hateful of all items. Scores on the CNS have been shown to accept a 1-dimensional cistron structure, with estimates supporting internal consistency and construct validity in English-speaking adults. In the present study, ω for CNS scores was .82 (95 % CI = .78, .86).

ii.2.5. Demographics

Participants were asked to provide information most their gender identity, historic period, ethnicity, educational attainment, peak, and weight. The latter two items were used to compute self-reported BMI as kg/m², which we used for sample descriptive purposes.

2.3. Procedures

Our project was canonical past the Schoolhouse ideals committee at Anglia Ruskin University (approving code: PSY-S19-010). All data were collected via the Prolific website, a crowdsourcing Net market that allows individuals to complete bookish surveys for budgetary bounty, on March 26, 2020. The project was advertised as a study on "nature and torso epitome" and included an estimated duration. Participation was limited to citizens of the U.k., those of adult age, and those fluent in English language, so equally to recruit a nationally homogeneous sample. In addition, Prolific ID codes and IP addresses were examined to ensure that no participant took the survey more than in one case. After providing digital informed consent, participants were directed to the scales described above, which were presented in a counter-balanced guild in Qualtrics™ (world wide web.qualtrics.com). Demographic items were completed final. An attention check item was embedded half-way through the questionnaire. The questionnaire was anonymous and, in exchange for completion, participants were paid £1.l. All participants received debriefing information at the end of the survey.

iii. Results

3.ane. Preliminary analyses

In total, 0.6 % of the data were missing and Petty's (1988) Missing Completely At Random (MCAR) test indicated that these data were MCAR, χ²(592) = 641.44, p =  .078. In addition, 10 participants had improbable BMI values (> l kg/yard²) and xi were missing height and/or weight data. All of these data were therefore treated as missing and were replaced using the mean replacement method. Descriptive statistics and inter-scale correlations are reported in Table i . As tin be seen, scores on all variables were significantly and positively correlated with small-to-medium event sizes in about cases.

Table one

Descriptive Statistics and Inter-Scale Correlations between All Variables Included in the Nowadays Report.

	(one)	(ii)	(3)	(4)	(5)
(ane) Nature exposure		.55**	.22**	.14*	.34**
(ii) Connectedness to nature			.35**	.30**	.39**
(iii) Mindful awareness				.78**	.21**
(iv) Mindful acceptance					.xiv*
(v) Torso appreciation
M	3.46	iii.39	3.57	three.61	3.40
SD	0.72	0.59	0.53	0.51	0.82

three.two. Path assay

We tested the hypothesised pathways specified in Fig. 1 using IBM SPSS AMOS 25 (Arbuckle, 2017). Maximum likelihood interpretation was used to judge parameters, and individual scales or subscales were treated equally observed variables. Model fit was assessed using 4 indices recommended by Hu and Bentler (1999): the normed model chi-square (χ²/df; values < 3.0 considered indicative of good fit), the Steiger-Lind root mean foursquare mistake of approximation (RMSEA) and its ninety % CI (values close to .06 considered indicative of good fit and values up to .08 indicative of adequate fit), the standardised root hateful foursquare remainder (SRMR; values < .09 indicative of reasonable fit), and the comparative fit index (CFI; values close to or > .95 indicative of acceptable fit.

The hypothesised model did not fit these data well, χ² = 357.632, p <  .001; df = i; χ²_normed = 357.632; CFI = .438; SRMR = .198; RMSEA = .948 (90 % CI = .751–1.064). Accordingly, non-significant paths were removed and modification indices were assessed to identify covarying terms that would improve the overall fit of the hypothesised model. Specifically, we removed the pathways from mindful acceptance to body appreciation (estimate = −.109, SE = .074, p = .141) and mindful sensation to body appreciation (guess = .115, SE = .075, p = .126). We likewise applied a covariance betwixt the residuals of mindful acceptance and mindful awareness (MI = 235.727, parameter change = .201). Further assay revealed that the pathway from mindful acceptance to connectedness to nature was not significant and was, therefore, deleted (gauge = .143, SE = .073, p = .051). The final model, presented in Fig. 2 , provided good fit to our information, χ^two = vii.040, p =  .071; df = 3; χ²_normed = 2.347; CFI = .994; SRMR = .023; RMSEA = .058 (ninety % CI = .001–.116).

3.iii. Arbitration analyses

Next, the bootstrap approach (Hayes, 2017) was used to conducted mediation analyses. The bootstrap method does not crave normal sampling distribution and has a better balance of Type I error and statistical power than alternative methods (MacKinnon, Lockwood, Hoffman, West, & Sheets, 2002; Shrout & Bolger, 2002). As recommended by Preacher and Hayes (2008), 5000 bootstrap samples were drawn from the dataset to calculate indirect and direct furnishings, likewise as bias-corrected 95 % CIs. Furnishings were considered to be pregnant if a respective CI did not overlap zero (MacKinnon, Lockwood, & Williams, 2004; Mallickrodt, Abraham, Wei, & Russell, 2006). The results, reported in Tabular array 2 , showed that at that place were significant direct effects for all pathways in the last model. In that location were meaning indirect furnishings from nature exposure via connectedness to nature to body appreciation and from nature exposure via mindful awareness to connectedness to nature. In add-on, there was a significant serial mediation from nature exposure via mindful awareness and connectedness to nature to torso appreciation.

Tabular array 2

Direct and Indirect Effects with Respective Standard Fault (SE) in Parentheses and 95 % Confidence Intervals in the Final Model.

Pathway	Direct Consequence		Indirect Result
	Unstd.	Std.	95 % CI	Unstd.	Std.	95 % CI
Nature exposure → Mindful acceptance	.100 (.040)	.139 (.056)	.020, .178	–	–	–
Nature exposure → Connected to nature	.414 (.041)	.501 (.045)	.334, .492	–	–	–
Nature exposure → Mindful awareness	.159 (.038)	.216 (.050)	.082, .235	–	–	–
Nature exposure → Trunk appreciation	.207 (.074)	.181 (.063)	.059, .351	–	–	–
Mindful awareness → Connexion to nature	.269 (.049)	.238 (.043)	.175, .363	–	–	–
Connectedness to nature → Body appreciation	.400 (.085)	.290 (.061)	.231, .566	–	–	–
Nature exposure → Connection to nature → Body appreciation	–	–	–	.183 (.042)	.160 (.037)	.103, .266
Nature exposure → Mindful awareness → Connexion to nature	–	–	–	.043 (.012)	.052 (.014)	.021, .068
Nature exposure → Mindful awareness → Connection to nature → Body appreciation	–	–	–	.108 (.030)	.069 (.019)	.053, .171

four. Discussion

In the present study, we start examined the extent to which connexion to nature and trait mindfulness mediate in parallel the relationship betwixt nature exposure and body appreciation. Our findings provide support for but one function of the hypothesised relationship: nosotros found that connection to nature – only not the mindfulness facets of acceptance and awareness – significantly mediated the same direct relationship. In terms of the effects of connectedness to nature, our findings corroborate the piece of work of Swami, Barron et al. (2016), who similarly institute that connectedness to nature mediated associations betwixt nature exposure and body appreciation in an online sample of adults from the United States. As Mayer et al. (2009) have posited, spending time in nature can promote stronger subjective connections with the natural environment, which in turn may take benefits on psychological well-being. In terms of positive body paradigm specifically, connection to nature may help individuals shift away from firsthand cocky-involvement (east.m., a focus on ane's appearance or impression direction rituals) onto more holistic embodying experiences (Swami, Barron et al., 2016; Swami, von Nordheim et al., 2016). For instance, Holloway et al. (2014) take suggested that connectedness to nature helps individuals to respect and appreciate one's trunk equally part of a wider ecosystem, both of which are deserving of protection and compassion. Greater connectedness to nature may likewise facilitate greater eudaimonic well-beingness (eastward.grand., self-regulation, thoughtfulness, flourishing, personal growth; for a meta-assay, run across Pritchard, Richardson, Sheffield, & McEwan, 2020) that has follow-on positive influences on body appreciation (Swami, Barron et al., 2016; Swami, von Nordheim et al., 2016).

Conversely, when we examined the extent to which trait mindfulness mediated the relationship between nature exposure and body appreciation, we found that neither mindful sensation nor mindful acceptance were significant mediators. Interestingly, both mindfulness facets were significantly (albeit weakly) associated with torso appreciation in correlational analyses. Nevertheless, it appears possible that any mediatory link may be lost once the effects of other constructs are accounted for – the self-compassion facets of self-kindness and common humanity in previous piece of work (Swami et al., 2019) and connectedness to nature hither. Another possibility is that trait mindfulness, equally measured in the present study, may be too wide to capture the most relevant aspects of the construct that may mediate the relationship between nature exposure and body appreciation. One style this could be rectified would be to utilise a more than trunk-focused mindfulness measure (e.g., the Trunk Mindfulness Questionnaire; Burg et al., 2017), which would specifically assess compassionate, not-judgemental awareness and acceptance of the body.

Despite the lack of a straight mediatory role for trait mindfulness, our findings did present bear witness of a significant serial arbitration, wherein the relationship betwixt nature exposure and trunk appreciation was mediated by mindful awareness followed by connectedness to nature. That is, greater nature exposure appears to enhance the capacity to regulate attention on present-moment experiences, which in turn is associated with greater connectedness to nature, with follow-on impacts on body appreciation. Unpacking this further, information technology is possible that greater fourth dimension spent in nature provides recurrent and sustained opportunities to develop greater trait mindfulness (see Duvall, 2011a, 2011b; Passmore & Holder, 2017). In plow, the not-judgemental awareness that is a cadre component of mindfulness may allow individuals to more fully engage with nature and thus develop greater connexion to nature (Aspy & Proeve, 2017; Hanley et al., 2020; Schutte & Malouf, 2018; Unsworth et al., 2016). That is, the ability to regulate attention on present-moment experiences – rather than the chapters to detect experiences non-judgementally – appears to be key in terms of the relationships between nature exposure, connectedness to nature, and body image.

Beyond the focus on mediating effects, our study also replicates the findings of previous cross-sectional studies (Swami et al., 2019; Swami, Barron et al., 2016) where a significant and positive association between self-reported nature exposure and positive body image has been documented. Replication of this effect is important in its own right (e.chiliad., multiple replications are oft required in order to provide enough ability to identify truthful furnishings; for a discussion, see Maxwell, Lau, & Howard, 2015), but beyond replication our results back up the large and growing body of bear witness that nature exposure can effectively promote enhancements to psychological well-being (e.grand., Collado et al., 2017; Frumkin et al., 2017; Norwood et al., 2019; van den Bosch & Bird, 2018). However, given that all cross-sectional studies to engagement have fatigued samples from loftier income and urbanised societies, an important side by side step for this research will exist to examine the degree to which the association between nature exposure and positive body image is robust across national and cultural groups.

Still, in that location are a number of limiting issues to consider in relation to the present results. Commencement, our data were cross-sectional and, while nosotros have interpreted associations based on bachelor bear witness, any causal implications should be treated cautiously. Swami et al. (2019) provide the post-obit example, which is of relevance here: while it seems likely that nature exposure serves as an antecedent of body appreciation, it is likewise possible that individuals with greater body appreciation seek out and engage in body-care activities, such as spending fourth dimension in nature. Similarly, while it is possible that college mindful sensation promotes greater connectedness to nature, the opposite causal route is also possible (Huynh & Torquati, 2019). Futurity longitudinal research may exist useful to better understand causal relationships, although it should be noted that experimental research does suggest that exposure to real and simulated nature is constructive at elevating state indices of positive trunk image (Rosenberg et al., 2014; Swami, 2020b; Swami, Barron et al., 2018; Swami, Pickering et al., 2018). Some other way of approaching this result would be through qualitative research that attempts to understand whether those who are high in body appreciation apply natural environments differently to those low in body appreciation (e.chiliad., see Frisén & Holmqvist, 2010).

In addition, although crowdsourcing Net marketplaces have been shown to produce reliable and valid data as compared with offline samples (e.g., Buhrmester, Kwang, & Gosling, 2016), information technology should be noted that our sample are unlikely to be representative of the wider population in the United kingdom of great britain and northern ireland. Given data collection was conducted in March 2020, it is also difficult to know how our results may take been affected by the nationwide lockdown due to the COVID-xix pandemic. Indeed, in that location is some preliminary evidence from Austria indicating that lockdown conditions may have concise exposure to outdoor natural environments, although being outdoors was still significantly associated with greater psychological well-being (Stieger, Lewetz, & Swami, 2020). In addition, future studies should endeavour to replicate our findings in other national and cultural groups. Emerging testify suggests that the benefits of nature exposure on body image are consequent across national groups (see Swami et al., 2020), but this is an attribute of the enquiry that requires sustained consideration. Finally, future studies may do good from more than circuitous modelling that includes a wider range of variables. Such variables could include those that have been previously found to mediate relationships between nature exposure and positive torso paradigm, such as self-compassion (see Swami et al., 2019), every bit well every bit maybe relevant factors, including engagement with natural beauty (Diessner, Solom, Frost, Parsons, & Davidson, 2010) and recurrent or perceived restorative experiences in natural environments (Pasanen, Ojala, Tyrväinen, & Korpela, 2018).

To summarise, our findings suggest that nature exposure is both directly and indirectly associated with more than positive body prototype in a sample of adults from the United Kingdom. While the direct link has been previously described, the finding of a serial mediation involving mindful awareness and connectedness to nature is novel and may lead to novel methods of promoting more positive torso image. From a theoretical point-of-view, the goal of using nature exposure to promote positive body image could exist expedited through theory- and data-informed conceptual modelling that better describes mechanisms (i.e., mediators and moderators) that tin can be used to help answer how, for whom, and nether what conditions nature exposure promotes more positive trunk image (east.g., see Cox & Tylka, 2020). From a more applied point-of-view, information technology may be possible to promote more positive trunk image through nature-based interventions (eastward.k., Bruni, Fraser, & Schultz, 2008; Mayer et al., 2009) and environmental educational activity programmes (Liefländer, Fröhlich, Bogner, & Schiltz, 2013) that leverage greater connectedness to nature. Likewise, fostering nature-based mindfulness – such as past encouraging people to attend more to their natural environment (e.g., Weinstein, Przybylski, & Ryan, 2009), giving individuals tasks that raise their sensation of natural surroundings (Passmore & Holder, 2017), or using signposts in natural environments (east.g., Korpela, Savonen, Anttila, Pasanen, & Ratcliffe, 2018) – could enhance the beneficial furnishings of nature exposure on connexion to nature (e.g., see Choe, Jorgensen, & Sheffield, 2020; Nisbett, Zelenski, & Grandpierre, 2019) and, in plough, positive body prototype. More distally, our findings may also have important implications for the therapeutic interventions aimed at promoting body and self-care in the handling of matted eating (e.k., Jepsen Transgrud, Borg, Bratland-Sanda, & Klevan, 2020).

CRediT authorship contribution statement

Viren Swami: Conceptualization, Methodology, Writing - original typhoon, Writing - review & editing, Project administration. David Barron: Methodology, Formal analysis, Writing - review & editing, Visualization. Jennifer Todd: Formal analysis, Writing - review & editing. George Horne: Investigation, Data curation, Writing - review & editing. Adrian Furnham: Investigation, Writing - review & editing.

Footnotes

Appendix A. Supplementary information

The following is Supplementary data to this article:

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Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7320863/

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