Abstract:
Much academic and media attention has been focused on how nature contributes to psychological health, yet, most of this focus has been on happiness or hedonic well-being. Although numerous writers and researchers have linked connecting with nature as a pathway to meaning in life, an integrated overview has not yet (to our knowledge) been offered. Our manuscript is thus of both theoretical and practical importance with respect to finding meaning in life. In this hybrid commentary/review paper, we examine the link between meaning in life and relating to the beyond-human natural world. Through presenting supportive empirical research and interdisciplinary insights, we make the case that connecting with the natural world provides us with meaning in various ways. We discuss how nature is a common source of meaning in people\'s lives and how connecting with nature helps to provide meaning by addressing our need to find coherence, significance/mattering, and purpose (the three aspects comprising the tripartite model of meaning life). We also consider how connecting with nature enhances our experiential appreciation for life, a fourth aspect of meaning in life recently proposed. Our discussion then expands to examining nature as a place of attachment. Going beyond how nature provides us with meaning, we consider how engaging in nature-based activities provides an avenue for many people to build meaningful lives. We close by considering how threats to nature are a threat to meaning in life.
摘要:
许多学术和媒体的注意力都集中在自然如何有助于心理健康,然而,大部分焦点都集中在幸福或享乐上。尽管许多作家和研究人员已经将与自然联系起来,作为通往生活意义的途径,(据我们所知)尚未提供综合概述。因此,我们的手稿在寻找生活意义方面具有理论和实践意义。在这份混合评论/评论文件中,我们研究了生命中的意义与人类以外的自然世界之间的联系。通过提供支持性的实证研究和跨学科见解,我们认为与自然世界的联系以各种方式为我们提供了意义。我们讨论了自然是人们生活中意义的共同来源,以及与自然的联系如何通过解决我们寻找连贯性的需求来帮助提供意义,意义/重要,和目的(包括意义生命的三方模型的三个方面)。我们还考虑与自然的联系如何增强我们对生活的体验性欣赏,最近提出了人生意义的第四个方面。然后,我们的讨论扩展到检查自然作为依恋的地方。超越自然为我们提供意义的方式,我们认为参与基于自然的活动如何为许多人建立有意义的生活提供途径。最后,我们考虑对自然的威胁是对生命意义的威胁。