Flourishing in nature: A review of the benefits of connecting with nature and its application as a wellbeing intervention

From the increasing number of people living in urban areas to the continued degradation of the natural environment, many of us appear to be physically and psychologically disconnected from nature. We consider the theoretical explanations and present evidence for why this state of affairs might result in suboptimal levels of hedonic and eudaimonic wellbeing by reviewing the large body of research on the mental health benefits of connecting with nature. The advantages of contact with nature as a potential wellbeing intervention are discussed, and examples of how this research is being applied to reconnect individuals to nature and improve wellbeing are given. We conclude by considering the limitations of, and proposing future directions for, research in this area. Overall, evidence suggests that connecting with nature is one path to flourishing in life

Be careful where you smile : culture shapes judgments of intelligence and honesty of smiling individuals

Smiling individuals are usually perceived more favorably than non-smiling ones – they are judged as happier, more attractive, competent, and friendly. These seemingly clear and obvious consequences of smiling are assumed to be culturally universal, however most of the psychological research is carried out in WEIRD societies (Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, and Democratic) and the influence of culture on social perception of nonverbal behavior is still understudied. Here we show that a smiling individual may be judged as less intelligent than the same non-smiling individual in cultures low on the GLOBE’s uncertainty avoidance dimension. Furthermore, we show that corruption at the societal level may undermine the prosocial perception of smiling – in societies with high corruption indicators, trust toward smiling individuals is reduced. This research fosters understanding of the cultural framework surrounding nonverbal communication processes and reveals that in some cultures smiling may lead to negative attributions

Putting the “We” Into Well‐being: Using Collectivism‐Themed Measures of Well‐Being Attenuates Well‐being's Association With Individualism

Studies repeatedly have documented that societal well‐being is associated with individualism. Most of these studies, however, have conceptualized/measured well‐being as individual life satisfaction—a type of well‐being that originates in Western research traditions. Drawing from the latest research on interdependent happiness and on family well‐being, we posit that people across cultures pursue different types of well‐being, and test whether more collectivism‐themed types of well‐being that originate in Confucian traditions also are associated with individualism. Based on data collected from 2,036 participants across 12 countries, we find support for the association between individual life satisfaction and individualism at the societal level, but show that well‐being's association with individualism is attenuated when some collectivism‐themed measures of well‐being are considered. Our article advances knowledge on the flourishing of societies by suggesting that individualism may not always be strongly linked with societal well‐being. Implications for public policies are signaled

Societal emotional environments and cross-cultural differences in life satisfaction: A forty-nine country study.

In this paper, we introduce the concept of ‘societal emotional environment’: the emotional climate of a society (operationalized as the degree to which positive and negative emotions are expressed in a society). Using data collected from 12,888 participants across 49 countries, we show how societal emotional environments vary across countries and cultural clusters, and we consider the potential importance of these differences for well-being. Multilevel analyses supported a ‘double-edged sword’ model of negative emotion expression, where expression of negative emotions predicted higher life satisfaction for the expresser but lower life satisfaction for society. In contrast, partial support was found for higher societal life satisfaction in positive societal emotional environments. Our study highlights the potential utility and importance of distinguishing between positive and negative emotion expression, and adopting both individual and societal perspectives in well-being research. Individual pathways to happiness may not necessarily promote the happiness of others

Personal life satisfaction as a measure of societal happiness is an individualistic presumption: Evidence from fifty countries

Numerous studies document that societal happiness is correlated with individualism, but the nature of this phenomenon remains understudied. In the current paper, we address this gap and test the reasoning that individualism correlates with societal happiness because the most common measure of societal happiness (i.e., country-level aggregates of personal life satisfaction) is individualism-themed. With the data collected from 13,009 participants across fifty countries, we compare associations of four types of happiness (out of which three are more collectivism-themed than personal life satisfaction) with two different measures of individualism. We replicated previous findings by demonstrating that societal happiness measured as country-level aggregate of personal life satisfaction is correlated with individualism. Importantly though, we also found that the country-level aggregates of the collectivism-themed measures of happiness do not tend to be significantly correlated with individualism. Implications for happiness studies and for policy makers are signaled

Message Journal, Issue 5: COVID-19 SPECIAL ISSUE Capturing visual insights, thoughts and reflections on 2020/21 and beyond...

If there is a theme running through the Message Covid-19 special issue, it is one of caring. Of our own and others’ resilience and wellbeing, of friendship and community, of students, practitioners and their futures, of social justice, equality and of doing the right thing. The veins of designing with care run through the edition, wide and deep. It captures, not designers as heroes, but those with humble views, exposing the need to understand a diversity of perspectives when trying to comprehend the complexity that Covid-19 continues to generate. As graphic designers, illustrators and visual communicators, contributors have created, documented, written, visualised, reflected, shared, connected and co-created, designed for good causes and re-defined what it is to be a student, an academic and a designer during the pandemic. This poignant period in time has driven us, through isolation, towards new rules of living, and new ways of working; to see and map the world in a different light. A light that is uncertain, disjointed, and constantly being redefined. This Message issue captures responses from the graphic communication design community in their raw state, to allow contributors to communicate their experiences through both their written and visual voice. Thus, the reader can discern as much from the words as the design and visualisations. Through this issue a substantial number of contributions have focused on personal reflection, isolation, fear, anxiety and wellbeing, as well as reaching out to community, making connections and collaborating. This was not surprising in a world in which connection with others has often been remote, and where ‘normal’ social structures of support and care have been broken down. We also gain insight into those who are using graphic communication design to inspire and capture new ways of teaching and learning, developing themselves as designers, educators, and activists, responding to social justice and to do good; gaining greater insight into society, government actions and conspiracy. Introduction: Victoria Squire - Coping with Covid: Community, connection and collaboration: James Alexander & Carole Evans, Meg Davies, Matthew Frame, Chae Ho Lee, Alma Hoffmann, Holly K. Kaufman-Hill, Joshua Korenblat, Warren Lehrer, Christine Lhowe, Sara Nesteruk, Cat Normoyle & Jessica Teague, Kyuha Shim. - Coping with Covid: Isolation, wellbeing and hope: Sadia Abdisalam, Tom Ayling, Jessica Barness, Megan Culliford, Stephanie Cunningham, Sofija Gvozdeva, Hedzlynn Kamaruzzaman, Merle Karp, Erica V. P. Lewis, Kelly Salchow Macarthur, Steven McCarthy, Shelly Mayers, Elizabeth Shefrin, Angelica Sibrian, David Smart, Ane Thon Knutsen, Isobel Thomas, Darryl Westley. - Coping with Covid: Pedagogy, teaching and learning: Bernard J Canniffe, Subir Dey, Aaron Ganci, Elizabeth Herrmann, John Kilburn, Paul Nini, Emily Osborne, Gianni Sinni & Irene Sgarro, Dave Wood, Helena Gregory, Colin Raeburn & Jackie Malcolm. - Coping with Covid: Social justice, activism and doing good: Class Action Collective, Xinyi Li, Matt Soar, Junie Tang, Lisa Winstanley. - Coping with Covid: Society, control and conspiracy: Diana Bîrhală, Maria Borțoi, Patti Capaldi, Tânia A. Cardoso, Peter Gibbons, Bianca Milea, Rebecca Tegtmeyer, Danne Wo

Obstacles en matière de soins de santé et santé mentale perçue chez les adultes au Canada pendant la pandémie de COVID-19 : étude transversale fondée sur la population

IntroductionLa santé mentale perçue des personnes au Canada ayant rencontré des obstacles en matière de soins de santé pendant la pandémie de COVID-19 est sous-explorée. MéthodologieNous avons analysé les données collectées entre mars et juin 2021 sur les adultes ayant déclaré avoir eu besoin de services de santé au cours des 12 derniers mois dans le cadre de l’Enquête sur l’accès aux soins de santé et aux produits pharmaceutiques pendant la pandémie. Des analyses de régression logistique non ajustées et ajustées ont été menées pour explorer les associations entre les obstacles en matière de soins de santé (problèmes liés à la prise de rendez-vous, report de la communication avec un professionnel de la santé) et un niveau élevé de santé mentale autoévaluée ainsi que la perception d’une détérioration de la santé mentale par rapport à la période précédant la pandémie, de façon globale et avec stratification en fonction du sexe, du groupe d’âge, du nombre de problèmes de santé chroniques et du tertile de revenu du ménage. RésultatsLes personnes ayant subi des changements de rendez-vous en raison de la pandémie ou dont le rendez-vous n’avait pas encore été fixé étaient moins susceptibles d’avoir un niveau élevé de santé mentale autoévaluée (RCa = 0,81 et 0,64 respectivement) et plus susceptibles de percevoir une détérioration de leur santé mentale (RCa = 1,50 et 1,94 respectivement) que les personnes sans problème lié aux rendez-vous. Les personnes ayant tardé à communiquer avec un professionnel de la santé en raison de la pandémie (par exemple parce qu’elles craignaient d’être infectées) ou pour d’autres raisons étaient moins susceptibles d’avoir un niveau élevé de santé mentale autoévaluée (RCa = 0,52 et 0,45 respectivement) et plus susceptibles de percevoir une détérioration de leur santé mentale (RCa = 2,31 et 2,43 respectivement) que les personnes qui n’avaient pas tardé à communiquer avec un professionnel de la santé. Le report de la communication avec un professionnel de la santé pour des raisons liées à la pandémie était associé à une perception moins favorable de la santé mentale dans tous les sousgroupes, tandis que l’association entre la santé mentale perçue et les changements de rendez-vous liés à la pandémie était importante dans certains groupes seulement. ConclusionLes obstacles en matière de soins de santé pendant la pandémie ont été associés à une perception moins favorable de la santé mentale. Ces résultats pourraient orienter l’affectation des ressources en soins de santé et les messages de santé publique

Health care barriers and perceived mental health among adults in Canada during the COVID-19 pandemic: a population-based cross-sectional study

IntroductionThe perceived mental health of individuals in Canada who faced health care barriers during the COVID-19 pandemic is underexplored. MethodsWe analyzed data collected March to June 2021 from adults who reported needing health care services within the past 12 months in the Survey on Access to Health Care and Pharmaceuticals during the Pandemic. Unadjusted and adjusted logistic regression analyses examined the associations between health care barriers (appointment scheduling problems, delaying contacting health care) and high self-rated mental health and perceived worsening mental health compared to before the pandemic, overall and stratified by gender, age group, number of chronic health conditions and household income tertile. ResultsIndividuals who experienced pandemic-related appointment changes or had appointments not yet scheduled were less likely to have high self-rated mental health (aOR = 0.81 and 0.64, respectively) and more likely to have perceived worsening mental health (aOR = 1.50 and 1.94, respectively) than those with no scheduling problems. Adults who delayed contacting health care for pandemic-related reasons (e.g. fear of infection) or other reasons were less likely to have high self-rated mental health (aOR = 0.52 and 0.45, respectively) and more likely to have perceived worsening mental health (aOR = 2.31 and 2.43, respectively) than those who did not delay. Delaying contacting health care for pandemic-related reasons was associated with less favourable perceived mental health in all subgroups, while the association between perceived mental health and pandemic-related appointment changes was significant in some groups. ConclusionHealth care barriers during the pandemic were associated with less favourable perceived mental health. These findings could inform health care resource allocation and public health messaging

The psychological and social benefits of a nature experience for children: A preliminary investigation

There are active movements to connect children with nature to improve their well-being. However, most of the research on children and nature has focused on cognitive benefits or used non-experimental designs. In a preliminary study, we examined the potential benefits of a 4-hour nature experience on children's mood, pro-sociality, and attitudes toward nature. Eighty students from an urban Canadian elementary school were recruited to participate in field trips to a nature school and an aviation/space museum. Children reported more positive and negative emotions, a closer connection to nature, and a greater willingness to protect nature when at the nature school. We also found indications that children were more pro-social at the nature school. Although further research is needed to replicate these findings with additional populations/environments, this study suggests that children largely benefit from spending time in nature