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.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 110277 |
| Pages (from-to) | 110277 |
| Journal | Environment international |
| Volume | 212 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Jun 2026 |
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In: Environment international, Vol. 212, 110277, 06.2026, p. 110277.
Research output: Journal article (peer-reviewed) › Journal article
TY - JOUR
T1 - Positive body image is a pathway between nature contact and life satisfaction across 58 nations
AU - Swami, Viren
AU - Voracek, Martin
AU - Stieger, Stefan
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AU - BrytekMatera, Anna
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AU - ÇakırKoçak, Yeliz
AU - Camacho, Pablo
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AU - Chaleeraktrakoon, Trawin
AU - Chambers, Tim
AU - Chen, QingWei
AU - Chen, Xin
AU - Chien, ChinLung
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AU - Choompunuch, Bovornpot
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AU - Czub, Marcin
AU - da Silva, Wanderson Roberto
AU - Dadfar, Mahboubeh
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AU - Datu, Jesus Alfonso D
AU - Berbert de Carvalho, Pedro Henrique
AU - de Holanda Coelho, Gabriel Lins
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AU - Drysch, Marius
AU - Du, Hongfei
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AU - Eskin, Mehmet
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AU - Farrugia, Lorleen
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AU - Fisher, Maryanne L
AU - Folwarczny, Michał
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AU - FullerTyszkiewicz, Matthew
AU - Furnham, Adrian
AU - García, Antonio Alías
AU - Geller, Shulamit
AU - Ghisi, Marta
AU - Ghorbani, Alireza
AU - Gomez Martinez, Maria Angeles
AU - Gradidge, Sarah
AU - Graf, Sylvie
AU - Grano, Caterina
AU - Gyene, Gyöngyvér
AU - Hallit, Souheil
AU - Hamdan, Motasem
AU - Handelzalts, Jonathan E
AU - Hanel, Paul H P
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AU - Hill, Tetiana
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AU - Ijabadeniyi, Olasupo Augustine
AU - Imam, Asma
AU - İnce, Başak
AU - Irrazabal, Natalia
AU - Jankauskiene, Rasa
AU - Jiang, DingYu
AU - JiménezBorja, Micaela
AU - JiménezBorja, Verónica
AU - Johnson, Evan M
AU - Jovanović, Veljko
AU - Jović, Marija
AU - Jović, Marko
AU - Pereira Junqueira, Alessandra Costa
AU - Kahle, LisaMarie
AU - Kantanista, Adam
AU - Karakiraz, Ahmet
AU - Karkin, Ayşe Nur
AU - Kasten, Erich
AU - Khatib, Salam
AU - Khieowan, Nuannut
AU - Kimong, Patricia Joseph
AU - Kiropoulos, Litza
AU - Knittel, Joshua
AU - Kohli, Neena
AU - Koprivnik, Mirjam
AU - Kospakov, Aituar
AU - KrólZielińska, Magdalena
AU - Krug, Isabel
AU - Kuan, Garry
AU - Kueh, Yee Cheng
AU - Kujan, Omar
AU - Kukić, Miljana
AU - Kumar, Sanjay
AU - Kumar, Vipul
AU - Lamba, Nishtha
AU - Lauri, Mary Anne
AU - Laus, Maria Fernanda
AU - LeBlanc, Liza April
AU - Lee, Hyejoo J
AU - Lipowska, Małgorzata
AU - Lipowski, Mariusz
AU - Lombardo, Caterina
AU - Lukács, Andrea
AU - Maïano, Christophe
AU - Malik, Sadia
AU - Manjary, Mandar
AU - Baldó, Lidia Márquez
AU - MartinezBanfi, Martha
AU - Massar, Karlijn
AU - Matera, Camilla
AU - McAnirlin, Olivia
AU - Mebarak, Moisés
AU - Mechri, Anwar
AU - Filgueiras Meireles, Juliana Fernandes
AU - Mesko, Norbert
AU - Mills, Jacqueline
AU - Miyairi, Maya
AU - Modi, Ritu
AU - Modrzejewska, Adriana
AU - Modrzejewska, Justyna
AU - Mulgrew, Kate E
AU - Myers, Taryn A
AU - Namatame, Hikari
AU - Nassani, Mohammad Zakaria
AU - Nerini, Amanda
AU - Neto, Félix
AU - Neto, Joana
AU - Neves, Angela Noguiera
AU - Ng, SiuKuen
AU - Nithiya, Devi
AU - O, Jiaqing
AU - Obeid, Sahar
AU - OdaMontecinos, Camila
AU - Olapegba, Peter Olamakinde
AU - Olonisakin, Tosin Tunrayo
AU - Omar, Salma Samir
AU - Örlygsdóttir, Brynja
AU - Özsoy, Emrah
AU - Otterbring, Tobias
AU - Pahl, Sabine
AU - Panasiti, Maria Serena
AU - Park, Yonguk
AU - Patwary, Muhammad Mainuddin
AU - Pethö, Tatiana
AU - Petrova, Nadezhda
AU - Pietschnig, Jakob
AU - Pourmahmoud, Sadaf
AU - Prabhu, Vishnunarayan Girishan
AU - Poštuvan, Vita
AU - Prokop, Pavol
AU - Ramseyer Winter, Virginia L
AU - Razmus, Magdalena
AU - Ru, Taotao
AU - Rupar, Mirjana
AU - Sahlan, Reza N
AU - Hassan, Mohammad Salah
AU - Šalov, Anđela
AU - Sapkota, Saphal
AU - Sarfo, Jacob Owusu
AU - Sawamiya, Yoko
AU - Schaefer, Katrin
AU - SchulteMecklenbeck, Michael
AU - Seekis, Veya
AU - Selvi, Kerim
AU - Sharifi, Mehdi
AU - Shrivastava, Anita
AU - Siddique, Rumana Ferdousi
AU - Sigurdsson, Valdimar
AU - Silkane, Vineta
AU - Šimunić, Ana
AU - Singh, Govind
AU - Slezáčková, Alena
AU - SundgotBorgen, Christine
AU - Hoor, Gill Ten
AU - Tevichapong, Passagorn
AU - Tipandjan, Arun
AU - Todd, Jennifer
AU - Togas, Constantinos
AU - Tonini, Fernando
AU - TovarCastro, Juan Camilo
AU - Jepsen Trangsrud, Lise Katrine
AU - Tripathi, Pankaj
AU - Tudorel, Otilia
AU - Tylka, Tracy L
AU - Uyzbayeva, Anar
AU - Vally, Zahir
AU - Vanags, Edmunds
AU - Vega, Luis Diego
AU - VicenteArruebarrena, Aitor
AU - VidalMollón, Jose
AU - Vilar, Roosevelt
AU - Villegas, Hyxia
AU - Vintilă, Mona
AU - Wallner, Christoph
AU - White, Mathew P
AU - Whitebridge, Simon
AU - Windhager, Sonja
AU - Wong, Kah Yan
AU - Yau, Eric Kenson
AU - Yamamiya, Yuko
AU - Lan Yeung, Victoria Wai
AU - Zanetti, Marcelo Callegari
AU - Zawisza, Magdalena
AU - Zeeni, Nadine
AU - Zvaríková, Martina
AU - Tran, Ulrich S
N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2026 The Author(s).
PY - 2026/6
Y1 - 2026/6
N2 - 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.
AB - 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.
UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105040964449
U2 - 10.1016/j.envint.2026.110277
DO - 10.1016/j.envint.2026.110277
M3 - Journal article
C2 - 42135102
SN - 0160-4120
VL - 212
SP - 110277
JO - Environment international
JF - Environment international
M1 - 110277
ER -