Overview
"Nature Connectedness (also called Nature Relatedness)" is a psychological concept indicating
the strength of an individual's emotional and cognitive sense of unity and attachment to the natural world.
It refers not simply to time spent in nature (contact frequency), but to the
quality of subjective relationship—"do you feel nature is part of yourself?" "do you feel familiarity with nature?"
People with high scores on this scale have higher happiness (Eudaimonic well-being) and are more likely to engage in pro-environmental behavior.
Theoretical Background
Major Measurement Scales
In psychology, the following questionnaires are used for measurement:
- NR (Nature Relatedness Scale):
- "I feel like I am part of nature," "I want to spend my vacation in nature," etc.
- CNS (Connectedness to Nature Scale):
- Measures emotional unity with nature.
- INS (Inclusion of Nature in Self):
- A simple method where respondents choose how much the circles of "self" and "nature" overlap.
Detailed Explanation
Strong Correlation with Happiness
According to meta-analysis (Capaldi et al., 2014), people with strong nature connection tend to:
- Have higher life satisfaction: More positive emotions and vitality.
- Have less anxiety: Lower feelings of loneliness and anxiety.
- Have self-transcendent values: Value contribution to community and environment over money and status.
How to Increase Connection (The Pathways to Nature Connectedness)
A research team at the University of Derby, UK, proposed that the following five routes deepen connection more than mere knowledge education or contact:
- Senses: Listening to nature's sounds, smelling flowers.
- Emotion: Being moved by creatures like "cute" or "amazing."
- Beauty: Appreciating nature's artistic beauty.
- Meaning: Learning about nature's cycles and stories.
- Compassion: Wanting to protect and care for nature.
Surprisingly, "knowledge (like remembering names)" is not very important for deepening connection.
What IKIMON Can Do
IKIMON is a tool that nurtures users' "connection with nature."
- Sensitivity-focused UI: A UI that emphasizes not just encyclopedia-like spec information, but "beautiful photos (Beauty)" and "emotional comments (Emotion)" is necessary.
- Story Sharing: Trivia features like "this flower was used for XX in the old days (Meaning)."
- Caution Against Knowledge Bias: Design that doesn't set hurdles like "can't post if you don't know the name," but praises sensitivity like "I photographed it because it was beautiful." AI identification is just support.
References
- Capaldi, C. A., et al. (2014). The relationship between nature connectedness and happiness: a meta-analysis. Frontiers in Psychology.
- Lumber, R., et al. (2017). Beyond knowing nature: Contact, emotion, compassion, meaning, and beauty as pathways to nature connectedness. PLOS ONE.
