The Impact of Gratitude on Connection With Nature: The Mediating Role of Positive Emotions of Self-Transcendence
Li Chen, Jiangxin Liu, Lezhen Fu, Chang Guo, Yu-Hong Chen
Frontiers in Psychology June 16, 2022 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.908138 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Experimental design with questionnaire Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 890 |
| Population | Adults |
| Intervention | gratitude condition |
| Key findings | Gratitude indirectly promotes willingness to participate in environmental protection and willingness to sacrifice for the environment through a sequential mediation of self-transcendent positive emotions and connection to nature. |
Abstract
Gratitude, as one of the positive emotions associated with self-transcendence, is also a moral and pro-social emotion with a pro-social nature. Therefore, in order to verify whether gratitude has the same effect as pro-social in promoting connection with nature, this study (N = 890) divided subjects into three groups (gratitude, recreation, and control) and used a questionnaire to explore the effects of gratitude on positive emotions of self-transcendence, connection with nature, and pro-environmental tendencies (willingness to participate in environmental protection, willingness to sacrifice for the environment). The results found that (1) positive emotions of self-transcendence partially mediated the effect of the gratitude condition on connection to nature, and (2) positive emotions of self-transcendence and connection to nature were fully and continuously mediated, suggesting that the gratitude condition had an indirect effect on both (a) willingness to participate in environmental protection and (b) willingness to sacrifice for the environment. These findings imply that we may need to pay more attention to the connection between gratitude and nature to promote a harmonious relationship between humans and nature.