Publications

Journal Article Ahead of print

PubMed: 42135102 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2026.110277

Positive body image is a pathway between nature contact and life satisfaction across 58 nations.

Environ Int

Authors: Viren Swami, Martin Voracek, Stefan Stieger, Toivo Aavik, Hamed Abdollahpour Ranjbar, Sulaiman Olanrewaju Adebayo, Reza Afhami, Oli Ahmed, Annie Aimé, Marwan Akel, Hussam Al Halbusi, George Alexias, Khawla F Ali, Nursel AlpDal, Anas B Alsalhani, Sara ÁlvarezSolas, Ana Carolina Soares Amaral, Sonny Andrianto, Trefor Aspden, Marios Argyrides, John Jamir Benzon R Aruta, Stephen Atkin, Olusola Ayandele, Migle Baceviciene, Radvan Bahbouh, Andrea Ballesio, David Barron, Ashleigh Bellard, Sóley Sesselja Bender, Kerime Derya Beydaǧ, Gorana Birovljević, MarieÈve Blackburn, Teresita BorjaAlvarez, Joanna Borowiec, Miroslava Bozogáňová, Solfrid BratlandSanda, Matthew H E M Browning, Anna BrytekMatera, Marina Burakova, Yeliz ÇakırKoçak, Pablo Camacho, Vittorio Emanuele Camilleri, Valentina Cazzato, Silvia Cerea, Apitchaya Chaiwutikornwanich, Trawin Chaleeraktrakoon, Tim Chambers, QingWei Chen, Xin Chen, ChinLung Chien … and 203 other authors

Affiliations

  • School of Psychology, Sport, and Sensory Sciences, Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge, United Kingdom; Centre for Psychological Medicine, Perdana University, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
  • Department of Cognition, Emotion, and Methods in Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
  • Department of Psychology and Psychodynamics, Karl Landsteiner University of Health Sciences, Krems an der Donau, Austria.
  • Institute of Psychology, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia.
  • Department of Psychology, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Istinye University, Istanbul, Türkiye.
  • Department of Psychology and Behavioural Studies, Ekiti State University, Ado-Ekiti, Nigeria.
  • Department of Art studies, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran.
  • Department of Psychology, University of Chittagong, Chattogram, Bangladesh.
  • Department of Psychoeducation and Psychology, Université du Québec en Outaouais, Saint-Jérôme, Canada.
  • INSPECT-LB National Institute of Public Health, Clinical Epidemiology, and Toxicology, Beirut, Lebanon; School of Pharmacy, Lebanese International University, Beirut, Lebanon.
  • Department of Management, Ahmed Bin Mohammad Military College, Doha, Qatar.
  • Faculty of Psychology, Panteion University of Social and Political Sciences, Athens, Greece.
  • Royal College of Surgeons Ireland-Bahrain, Adliya, Bahrain.
  • Department of Midwifery, Faculty of Health Sciences, Munzur University, Tunceli, Türkiye.
  • Department of Oral Medicine and Diagnostic Sciences, Vision College of Dentistry and Nursing, Vision Colleges, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
  • EDUCAMB Research Group, Faculty of Health Sciences, Universidad Interacional de la Rioja, Logroño, La Rioja, Spain.
  • Federal Institute of Education, Science, and Technology of Southeast Minas Gerais, Barbacena, Brazil.
  • Department of Psychology, Universitas Islam Indonesia, Yogyakarta, Indonesia.
  • Department of Psychology, Aberystwyth University, Ceredigion, United Kingdom.
  • Department of Psychology, Neapolis University Pafos, Paphos, Cyprus.
  • Department of Psychology, De La Salle University, Philippines.
  • Department of General Studies, The Polytechnic, Ibadan, Nigeria; Department of Psychology, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria.
  • Health Research and Innovation Science Centre, Faculty of Health Sciences, Klaipeda University, Klaipeda, Lithuania.
  • Department of Psychology, Faculty of Arts, Charles University, Prague, Czechia.
  • Department of Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
  • College of Arts and Sciences, VinUniversity, Hanoi, Viet NAM.
  • School of Psychology, Faculty of Health, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, United Kingdom.
  • Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery, University of Iceland, Reykjavik, Iceland.
  • Department of Nursing, Faculty of Health Sciences, Istanbul Gedik University, Istanbul, Türkiye.
  • Department of Psychology, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Rijeka, Rijeka, Croatia.
  • ÉCOBES-Research and Transfer, Cégep de Jonquière, Québec, Canada.
  • Colegio de Ciencias Sociales y Humanidades, Universidad San Francisco de Quito USFQ, Quito, Ecuador.
  • Department of Physical Education and Lifelong Sports, Poznań University of Physical Education, Poznań, Poland.
  • Institute of Social Sciences of the Centre of Social and Psychological Sciences, Košice, Slovakia; Faculty of Humanities and Natural Sciences, Institute of Pedagogy, Andragogy, and Psychology, University of Prešov, Prešov, Slovakia.
  • Department of Sports, Physical Education and Outdoor Studies, University of South-Eastern Norway, Bø in Telemark, Norway.
  • Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management, Clemson University, Clemson, SC, United States of America.
  • Institute of Psychology, University of Wrocław, Wrocław, Poland.
  • Laboratory of Social Psychology, Aix-Marseille University, Aix-en-Provence, France.
  • Department of Midwifery, Faculty of Health Sciences, Bartın University, Bartın, Türkiye.
  • CentroSan Isidoro University Center, Seville, Spain.
  • Department of Psychology, University of Malta, Msida, Malta.
  • Department of General Psychology, University of Padova, Padova, Italy; Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Padova, Padova, Italy.
  • Faculty of Psychology, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand.
  • Department of Psychology, Faculty of Liberal Arts, Thammasat University, Pathumthani, Thailand.
  • School of Psychology, Deakin University, Geelong, Australia.
  • Lab of Light and Physio-Psychological Health, National Center for International Research on Green Optoelectrics, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China; Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Optical Information Materials and Technology & Institute of Electronic Paper Displays, South China Academy of Advanced Optoelectronics, Normal University, Guangzhou, China.
  • Department of Psychology, Graduate School of Arts and Science, New York University, New York, United States of America.
  • Department of Psychology, Soochow University, Taipei, Taiwan.

Abstract

Time spent in nature benefits human mental and physical well-being. However, much of the variance in outcomes of nature contact remains unexplained, suggesting that new mechanistic pathways need to be considered. Here, we tested a novel conceptual model linking nature contact with life satisfaction via pathways involving positive experiences of living in and experiencing the world through the physical self. Using data from the Body Image in Nature Survey (BINS; N = 50,363), representing respondents from 58 nations and speaking 36 different languages, we find that nature contact is associated with greater self-compassion and greater perceived restoration in nature, which in turn are associated with more positive body image. In addition, more positive body image is associated with greater life satisfaction. These associations were robust to sensitivity tests, generalised to all gender identities and age groups, and held individually in almost all national groups and languages. Although replications are needed, we propose that the materialities of natural environments help to link bodily experiences to the production and experience of well-being, a process that is largely stable across national groups.

MeSH

Language, Body Image, Environmental Health, Body Satisfaction