Accurately measuring residential satisfaction is important when it comes to guiding architectural design strategies that improve people’s quality of life in line with their needs. The aim of this study was to create and validate a specific instrument to measure residential satisfaction in a Mexican context. The study began with a qualitative assessment of residential satisfaction across three categories – home, neighbourhood and neighbours – using the natural semantic networks technique on a sample of 90 people from the general population. Based on these assessments, a 19-item Likert-type scale was designed. The construct validity of this scale was analysed using exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis with samples from the general population ( N = 201 and N = 412, respectively). The results revealed two factors explaining 63.55% of the total variance: ‘satisfaction with the home’ (McDonald’s omega coefficient = .88) and ‘satisfaction with the neighbourhood unit’ (McDonald’s omega coefficient = .92). The scale demonstrated good psychometric properties for measuring residential satisfaction in the context studied.
This study examines the psycho-environmental impacts of urban deterioration in Valparaíso, Chile, focusing on symbolic dispossession processes and precarious forms of dwelling. We conducted 34 spatially referenced in-depth interviews with residents from the city’s different neighbourhoods and analysed them using a thematic analysis approach. Findings reveal how material decay – garbage, insecurity and perceived institutional neglect – destabilises place identity and generates feelings of incongruence and estrangement. However, affective bonds with the city do not disappear; rather, they are reconfigured into nostalgic place attachment, where memories of a more prosperous past sustain a sense of belonging. At the same time, residents report micro-segregations: restricted routes, avoidance of public spaces and symbolic boundaries that fragment daily life, exemplifying what the literature describes as symbolic displacement. Overall, these findings demonstrate that urban deterioration functions as a process of symbolic dispossession that intertwines disrupted identities, nostalgic reattachments and affective boundaries, producing subjective precariousness even without residential displacement.
The goal of this research is to study the psychosocial differences between two profiles of environmental ethics, namely biocentrism and anthropocentrism, which entail greater and lesser moral inclusivity, respectively. It studies their correlates and both orientations’ relationship with a behavioural commitment to social and environmental causes. Regarding methodology, an online questionnaire was used with a sample of 353 participants. Descriptive, correlative, regression and mediation analyses were performed to check the hypotheses. The results indicate that biocentrism and anthropocentrism are two distinct orientations of beliefs about the moral status of living beings. Biocentric beliefs play an important role in involvement in social participation actions for causes both human and nature-related, while anthropocentric beliefs do not have this capacity for mobilisation. Finally, given that the results provide new evidence, possible theoretical and practical implications and future avenues of research are discussed.
This study explored urban environments in terms of psychological restorativeness. The aim was to expand the frequently used but conceptually limited dichotomy of natural vs. urban settings by adding a distinction between serene and busy urban environments. In an online study, 381 participants were exposed to natural, calm urban, or busy urban environments. Perceived restorativeness of the environment was evaluated using the Perceived Restorativeness Scale (PRS), in which we explored new compatibility items. Results revealed the hypothesized hierarchical order in which nature was perceived as most restorative, followed by a calm urban environment, whereas a busy urban environment showed the least restorative qualities. Moreover, factor analysis identified a six-factor structure in the PRS, highlighting that the alternative compatibility factor contained comfort and identity facets. Moving research on restorativeness beyond the conventional nature-centric perspective, together this suggests that next to natural environments, serene urban environments may offer easily accessible restorative opportunities.
The aim of this study is to analyse the role of place attachment in young people’s community involvement compared to community satisfaction and social trust. The hypothesis put forward is that place attachment will have greater relevance in explaining community involvement than community satisfaction and social trust. A total of 243 young individuals responded to a questionnaire that included items about social participation, place attachment, satisfaction with community resources and social trust. In the structural model tested, which obtained an adequate fit, the latent variable Community Involvement, encompassing Individual Participation in the Neighbourhood, Community Participation in the Neighbourhood, Neighbourhood Civic Participation and Individual Civic Participation, was significantly predicted by Place Attachment and Social Trust. Community Satisfaction showed a positive but not significant association. The three variables explained 73.4% of the variance in Community Involvement. These results highlight the role of emotional ties to a place and social trust in promoting community engagement among young people.
This paper explores the impact of corporate environmental responsibility (CER) motives on employees’ green behaviour within organizations. We conducted two studies to examine whether and how the underlying reasons for a company’s adoption of CER policies influence employees’ environmental actions at work. In the first study, we used an experimental design with 292 university students to investigate the effects of financial versus environmental motives on perceived CER and subsequent employee green behaviour. In the second study, we extended this analysis to a real-world context by surveying organizational employees. Our results reveal that CER motives significantly shape employees’ perceptions of CER and their environmental self-identity, which in turn affects their in-role (job-related tasks) and extra-role (voluntary actions) environmental behaviours at work. Specifically, we found that when CER is perceived to be adopted for environmental reasons, it enhanced employee green behaviour, whereas financial motives for CER adoption diminished this influence. This study contributes theoretically by integrating CER motives, perceived CER and environmental self-identity to explain both extra-role and in-role employee green behaviours. Practically, it highlights how organizations frame and communicate their motives, which is crucial for fostering sustainable workplace practices.
This study examined the relationship between individual and contextual factors that promote pro-environmental behaviors by integrating insights from previous research. Among 380 Italian university students, a positive association was found between autonomous motivation and intrinsic life aspirations. Controlled motivation was positively related to a perceived controlling governing style and extrinsic life aspirations but negatively associated with intrinsic aspirations. Pro-environmental behaviors were positively linked to autonomous motivation and negatively to extrinsic life aspirations. An indirect association was observed between intrinsic life aspirations and pro-environmental behaviors via autonomous motivation. Overall, these findings reinforce prior research and underscore the central role of life aspirations in fostering pro-environmental behaviors. The study highlights the importance of individual motivation and aspirations in promoting environmentally conscious action, emphasizing the need to encourage values that support collective well-being.
Nature exposure has presented positive relationships with satisfaction with life and negative relationships with loneliness. Nonetheless, studies on the underlying mechanisms that may mediate these relationships are still limited. Nature restorativeness may be one such mediating variable. This paper reports on the role of nature restorativeness in the relationship between exposure to nature and two mental health outcomes — satisfaction with life and loneliness. The sample included 235 women and 113 men with an average age of 35 years (SD = 16.2 years). They answered scales to measure (1) nature exposure, (2) restorative outcomes, (3) satisfaction with life and (4) loneliness. Nature exposure was positively associated with restorative outcomes and satisfaction with life, and negatively associated with loneliness. Hierarchical regressions and mediation analyses showed that nature restorativeness significantly fully mediated the link between nature exposure and (1) satisfaction with life and (2) loneliness. The findings suggested that restorative experiences in nature are likely to be relevant aspects of people’s experience of nature, and positive mental health outcomes are related to them.
The aim of this study was to encourage inhabitants in a French city to take their trash cans in after they had been collected, in order to not clutter the street during the day. A total of 164 households were approached by city officials and three different interventions were compared: the first was based on binding communication, the second on binding communication coupled with the hypocrisy paradigm, and a third was an informational message. Changes in the mean percentages of trash cans left on the street before and after the interventions indicated that binding communication was significantly more effective than the other two interventions. The fact that the hypocrisy paradigm can block the effect of binding communication is discussed in terms of the dissonance reduction mode.
The role of biophilic attitudes in maintaining psychological well-being (contributing to personal authenticity and preventing distress) was investigated. Environmental identity served as a moderator of the connections. In total, 383 Russian-speaking respondents (77.3% female) aged 18 to 55 participated in the study. A new modification of the Biophilic Attitudes Inventory — Russia was developed, including 20 statements and five subscales: Naturalism , Dominionism , Ecologism , Curiosity and Security . Contrary to expectations, it was found that biophilia is not a universal factor of psychological well-being: whereas it contributed positively to personal authenticity, it also contributed positively to distress. Environmental identity did not moderate these connections. The results are interpreted based on the specifics of the sample (urban residents with limited experience of the interaction with nature). The limitations of the research, the prospects of its further development and practical applications are presented.
This study investigates how a prosocial propensity, an inherent human attribute characterized by the willingness to incur personal costs for the benefit of others, functions as the foundation of water-conservation behaviour in Jordan and Germany — countries with starkly different water availability. We utilized survey data from university students and applied item response theory and linear regression. The prosocial propensity was indicated in line with previous studies via Honesty-Humility. However, against our expectations, the relationship between prosocial propensity and water-saving behaviour was not observed in Jordan ( N = 428), a nation facing severe water scarcity. In contrast, in Germany ( N = 540), where water is relatively abundant, our findings demonstrate a weak but clear relation between prosocial propensity and water-saving behaviour. The results suggest that a prosocial propensity manifests itself under some circumstances in water-saving behaviour but that this relation might depend on the local and cultural context. Thus, the study underscores the complexity of behaviours towards natural resources as they intersect with personality, cultural backgrounds and resource availability.
The present study addresses two variables having a direct relation with pro-environmental behaviour (PEB): climate change denial (CCD) and psychological well-being. Previous research has indicated that denial can be considered a coping strategy for climate change, and this could negatively affect PEB. In addition, evidence shows that well-being could be a promoter of environmentalism. Hence, the study aims to identify the combined relation of climate change denial and psychological well-being on PEB. A sample of 196 participants, aged 18–65+, was randomly selected using quota sampling reflecting age distribution, from a city in northwest Mexico. Results confirmed that CCD is negatively associated with PEB and that the association between psychological well-being and PEB is positive. The study found no significant covariance between CCD and well-being. The findings underscore the need for interventions targeting climate denial and the promotion of well-being to enhance environmental actions.
Nature Relatedness encompasses the affective, cognitive and experiential dimensions of individuals’ connection with nature, reflecting an understanding of our interdependence with all living things. This study aimed to validate the Spanish version of the Nature Relatedness Scale (NRS), focusing on its adaptation to the Spanish cultural context and assessing its validity and reliability. The study also explored the relationships between the NRS, pro-environmental orientation and mindfulness. A sample of 514 Spanish adults (76.6% female, mean age 22.2 years) completed the NRS, the New Ecological Paradigm Scale (NEP) and the Mindfulness Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS). Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was conducted to assess the suitability of the scale, and correlation analyses examined associations between variables. The NRS showed good internal consistency (α = .82, ω = .83) and an acceptable model fit. Significant positive correlations were found between NRS and NEP ( r = .330, p < .001) and between NRS and MAAS ( r = .171, p < .001). These results support the use of the NRS to investigate human–nature connections in Spanish adults, indicating its reliability for further psychological and environmental research.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, college students faced unique challenges in weighing their own interests against public health risks. We thematically analysed solicited diaries written by 33 college students (18 women, 15 men) across the first two years of the pandemic, exploring their narratives written about activities, emotional valence, primary emotions, gender differences and changes over time. We identified 85 passages that focused on four emergent thematic categories of activities outside the home: taking care of necessities, navigating between destinations, socializing and spending time in nature. Passages about taking care of necessities were more negative in valence, whereas passages about spending time in nature were more positive. Women expressed more anger in their diaries than did men, but no other gender differences emerged. As the pandemic wore on, diarists wrote more about taking care of necessities and less about time in nature, and their emotions became more negative and less joyous. Extracts from diaries are provided. We discuss how the shifting frame of the pandemic’s ‘new normal’ impacted students’ daily lives and lessons to be learned.
Urban dwellers spend most of their time indoors, limiting exposure to natural environments known to support psychological well-being. In response, cost-effective biophilic strategies, such as green walls and trompe-l’oeil visual representations of nature, have gained relevance, particularly in restaurants with spatial or budgetary constraints. While the restorative value of real vegetation is well established, the psychological impact of illusory nature remains underexplored. This study employed a within-subject experimental design to assess three ambience conditions — green walls, illusory nature and a no-nature control — on four mood outcomes: Sadness–Depression, Anxiety, Anger–Hostility and Happiness. Mood was measured using the Scale for Mood Assessment (EVEA), and data were collected online via photographic stimuli derived from an actual restaurant interior. Results showed that the trompe-l’oeil condition was the most effective at reducing Anger–Hostility and enhancing Happiness, while the no-nature condition elicited the highest negative moods. Although green walls were beneficial, they were less impactful. Visually rich simulations may serve as viable substitutes for living greenery in certain design contexts.
As nature is increasingly encountered on screens, we examine how an unscripted slow-TV wildlife livestream, Den Stora Älgvandringen ( The Great Moose Migration , DSÄ), supports restoration, well-being, and human–nature connection. In 2024 we fielded an online survey ( N = 2,011) and combined reflexive thematic analysis with logistic regressions on theme mentions. Seven themes emerged: Unpredictability/Live, Sensory Immersion, Format Appreciation, Calmness, Authenticity & Realness, Social Engagement, and Well-Being. Viewers described folding DSÄ into daily routines for micro-restoration and companionship; high-fidelity soundscapes and unedited visuals underpinned immersion, while live chat and shared rituals fostered communal co-presence. Modelling indicated modest demographic and attitudinal correlations of theme mentions (e.g., age, access to nature, environmental concern), consistent with multifactorial social phenomena. Together, the findings suggest that slow-TV nature cultivates attentional ease, perceived authenticity, and shared meaning-making that complement direct nature contact. We outline design principles for digital nature content that preserves ecological integrity, supports slow attention, and enables inclusive access.
There is growing evidence indicating that “green exercise” offers benefits for health and well-being, both in the short and long term. This study explores the psychological benefits of hiking in nature among people living in urban areas. A total of 181 hikers participating in 10 group guided hiking routes in mountain areas were enrolled in this study. With an ex post facto design, a statistically significant increase was observed after hiking in dominance and self-efficacy, both with large effect sizes (Cohen’s d = .8) and in affective valence and social bonding, with very large effect sizes ( d = 1.8 and d = 2.3, respectively). Likewise, a large reduction in stress was observed ( d = −.8). No significant trends were observed for fatigue, attention, or arousal. Gender, education level, economic income, loneliness, and region of residence appeared to be related to interindividual variability in outcomes. It is concluded that green exercise can improve psychological health, and some personal and environmental associated factors to these benefits should be considered.
Voluntary simplicity is a lifestyle characterised by a voluntary reduction in consumption for personal, social and/or environmental reasons. It may be oriented towards a search for balance or personal meaning (independent self) or towards social change related to environmental awareness or community aspects (interdependent self). Using a multidimensional perspective of self-construal, we experimentally analyse social perceptions surrounding self-construal of those who practise voluntary simplicity compared to a materialistic consumption style and a normative control group. We conducted the first study in Chile ( n = 234) and the second in Spain ( n = 230), subsequently performing a pooled analysis ( n = 464). Those who practise voluntary simplicity were perceived as more interdependent in terms of Self-Construal and Inclusion of Others in the Self compared to those who pursue materialistic consumption but more independent than those who adopt a normative consumption lifestyle.
Adolescents’ emotional development is profoundly influenced by increased technology dependence and nature disconnectedness, impacting their mental health. Hence, we hypothesized that spending more time in nature can strengthen the association between nature connectedness and the appraisal of one’s own emotions. Data were collected from 238 adolescent school students pursuing higher secondary education (eleventh and twelfth grades), by administering survey questionnaires in schools located in and around Vridhachalam, Tamil Nadu, India. Moderation analysis was utilized to assess the interaction effect of time spent in nature. The results provided empirical support for the proposed moderation model, where the overall model values showing R = .40, R 2 = .16, F (5, 232) = 8.65, p < .001 was found significant, explaining 16% of the change in the appraisal of one’s own emotions. These findings suggest that spending time in nature can strengthen the association between nature connectedness and self-emotional appraisal, implying the potential value of incorporating nature-based sustainable interventions in academic settings.
Adolescents' emotional development is profoundly influenced by increased technology dependence and nature disconnectedness, impacting their mental health. Hence, we hypothesized that spending more time in nature can strengthen the association between nature connectedness and the appraisal of one's own emotions. Data were collected from 238 adolescent school students pursuing higher secondary education (eleventh and twelfth grades), by administering survey questionnaires in schools located in and around Vridhachalam, Tamil Nadu, India. Moderation analysis was utilized to assess the interaction effect of time spent in nature. The results provided empirical support for the proposed moderation model, where the overall model values showing R = .40, R-2 = .16, F(5, 232) = 8.65, p < .001 was found significant, explaining 16% of the change in the appraisal of one's own emotions. These findings suggest that spending time in nature can strengthen the association between nature connectedness and self-emotional appraisal, implying the potential value of incorporating nature-based sustainable interventions in academic settings.
