The Impact of Gratitude on Connection With Nature: The Mediating Role of Positive Emotions of Self-Transcendence
Frontiers in Psychology June 16, 2022 Li Chen, Jiangxin Liu, Lezhen Fu et al.
Gratitude, a self-transcendent and pro-social emotion, may foster a stronger connection with nature and pro-environmental attitudes. In a questionnaire study with 890 participants divided into gratitude, recreation, and control groups, gratitude increased positive emotions of self-transcendence, which in turn strengthened connection to nature. This sequential pathway fully explained gratitude's indirect effect on both willingness to participate in environmental protection and willingness to sacrifice for the environment. The findings suggest that cultivating gratitude could help promote a harmonious human-nature relationship.