2020/08/26 by Travis N. Ray, Scott A. Franz, Nicole L. Jarrett +1 · 73 citations
Environmental Science · Psychology · #Behavioral Health and Interventions #Clinical psychology #Meditation #Mindfulness #Mindfulness and Compassion Interventions #Mindfulness meditation #Psychological intervention #Psychology #Psychotherapist #Social connectedness #Social psychology #Urban Green Space and Health
paper · doi:10.1177/0013916520952452
published in Environment and Behavior 53(8), 864-890 (SAGE Publishing)
openalex publication_date 2020/08/26 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/30
Previous research suggests that meditation, a mindfulness exercise, could result in increased connectedness to nature and pro-environmental behavior. Exposure to nature also is associated with these outcomes. It was hypothesized that meditation alongside stimuli reminiscent of the natural environment would produce enhanced effects. Participants ( N = 97) were randomly assigned to complete a 4-week online meditation program consisting of a guided meditation paired with either nature sounds (“nature group”) or spa-like sounds (“control group”). Mindfulness, connectedness to nature, and pro-environmental behavior were assessed before and after the program. Meditation, in general, produced increases in mindfulness, connectedness to nature, and pro-environmental behavior. Additionally, the nature group had a greater rate of change in connectedness to nature when compared to the control group. The results extend previous cross-sectional research by demonstrating the beneficial effects of meditation on pro-environmental behavior and its theorized mechanisms, which may be informative for future research and interventions.