Peer-reviewedCC BYEnvironment International
Positive body image is a pathway between nature contact and life satisfaction across 58 nations
40 affiliations
- 1School of Psychology, Sport, and Sensory Sciences, Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge, United Kingdom; Centre for Psychological Medicine, Perdana University, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Electronic address: [email protected]
- 2Department of Cognition, Emotion, and Methods in Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- 3Department of Psychology and Psychodynamics, Karl Landsteiner University of Health Sciences, Krems an der Donau, Austria
- 4Institute of Psychology, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
- 5Department of Psychology, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Istinye University, Istanbul, Türkiye
- 6Department of Psychology and Behavioural Studies, Ekiti State University, Ado-Ekiti, Nigeria
- 7Department of Art studies, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran
- 8Department of Psychology, University of Chittagong, Chattogram, Bangladesh
- 9Department of Psychoeducation and Psychology, Université du Québec en Outaouais, Saint-Jérôme, Canada
- 10INSPECT-LB National Institute of Public Health, Clinical Epidemiology, and Toxicology, Beirut, Lebanon; School of Pharmacy, Lebanese International University, Beirut, Lebanon
- 11Department of Management, Ahmed Bin Mohammad Military College, Doha, Qatar
- 12Faculty of Psychology, Panteion University of Social and Political Sciences, Athens, Greece
- 13Royal College of Surgeons Ireland-Bahrain, Adliya, Bahrain
- 14Department of Midwifery, Faculty of Health Sciences, Munzur University, Tunceli, Türkiye
- 15Department of Oral Medicine and Diagnostic Sciences, Vision College of Dentistry and Nursing, Vision Colleges, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- 16EDUCAMB Research Group, Faculty of Health Sciences, Universidad Interacional de la Rioja, Logroño, La Rioja, Spain
- 17Federal Institute of Education, Science, and Technology of Southeast Minas Gerais, Barbacena, Brazil
- 18Department of Psychology, Universitas Islam Indonesia, Yogyakarta, Indonesia
- 19Department of Psychology, Aberystwyth University, Ceredigion, United Kingdom
- 20Department of Psychology, Neapolis University Pafos, Paphos, Cyprus
- 21Department of Psychology, De La Salle University, Philippines
- 22Department of General Studies, The Polytechnic, Ibadan, Nigeria; Department of Psychology, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria
- 23Health Research and Innovation Science Centre, Faculty of Health Sciences, Klaipeda University, Klaipeda, Lithuania
- 24Department of Psychology, Faculty of Arts, Charles University, Prague, Czechia
- 25Department of Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
- 26College of Arts and Sciences, VinUniversity, Hanoi, Viet NAM
- 27School of Psychology, Faculty of Health, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, United Kingdom
- 28Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery, University of Iceland, Reykjavik, Iceland
- 29Department of Nursing, Faculty of Health Sciences, Istanbul Gedik University, Istanbul, Türkiye
- 30Department of Psychology, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Rijeka, Rijeka, Croatia
- 31ÉCOBES-Research and Transfer, Cégep de Jonquière, Québec, Canada
- 32Colegio de Ciencias Sociales y Humanidades, Universidad San Francisco de Quito USFQ, Quito, Ecuador
- 33Department of Physical Education and Lifelong Sports, Poznań University of Physical Education, Poznań, Poland
- 34Institute 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
- 35Department of Sports, Physical Education and Outdoor Studies, University of South-Eastern Norway, Bø in Telemark, Norway
- 36Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management, Clemson University, Clemson, SC, United States of America
- 37Institute of Psychology, University of Wrocław, Wrocław, Poland
- 38Laboratory of Social Psychology, Aix-Marseille University, Aix-en-Provence, France
- 39Department of Midwifery, Faculty of Health Sciences, Bartın University, Bartın, Türkiye
- 40CentroSan Isidoro University Center, Seville, Spain
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.
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BibTeX
@article{swami2026positive,
title = {{Positive body image is a pathway between nature contact and life satisfaction across 58 nations}},
author = {Viren Swami and Martin Voracek and Stefan Stieger and Toivo Aavik and Hamed Abdollahpour Ranjbar and Sulaiman Olanrewaju Adebayo and Reza Afhami and Oli Ahmed and Annie Aimé and Marwan Akel and Hussam Al Halbusi and George Alexias and Khawla Fuad Ali and Nursel AlpDal and Anas B. Alsalhani and Sara Álvarez Solas and Ana Carolina Soares Amaral and Sonny Andrianto and Trefor Aspden and Marios Argyrides and John Jamir Benzon R. Aruta and Stephen Lawrence Atkin and Olusola Ayandele and Miglė Bacevičienė and Radvan Bahbouh and Andrea Ballesio and David Barron and Ashleigh Bellard and Sóley Sesselja Bender and Kerime Derya Beydağ and Gorana Birovljević and Marie-Ève Blackburn and Teresita Borja-Álvarez and Joanna Borowiec and Miroslava Bozogáňová and Solfrid Bratland‐Sanda and Matthew H. E. M. Browning and Anna Brytek‐Matera and Marina Burakova and Yeliz Çakır Koçak and Pablo Camacho Lazarraga and Vittorio Emanuele Camilleri and Valentina Cazzato and Silvia Cerea and Apitchaya Chaiwutikornwanich and Trawin Chaleeraktrakoon and Timothy P. Chambers and Qingwei Chen and Xin Chen and ChinLung Chien and Phatthanakit Chobthamkit and Bovornpot Choompunuch and Emilio Juan Compte and Jennifer Corrigan and Getrude Cosmas and Richard Gregory Cowden and Kamila Czepczor‐Bernat and Marcin Czub and Wanderson Roberto da Silva and Mahboubeh Dadfar},
journal = {Environment International},
year = {2026},
month = may,
doi = {10.1016/j.envint.2026.110277},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2026.110277},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Positive body image is a pathway between nature contact and life satisfaction across 58 nations
AU - Viren Swami
AU - Martin Voracek
AU - Stefan Stieger
AU - Toivo Aavik
AU - Hamed Abdollahpour Ranjbar
AU - Sulaiman Olanrewaju Adebayo
AU - Reza Afhami
AU - Oli Ahmed
AU - Annie Aimé
AU - Marwan Akel
AU - Hussam Al Halbusi
AU - George Alexias
AU - Khawla Fuad Ali
AU - Nursel AlpDal
AU - Anas B. Alsalhani
AU - Sara Álvarez Solas
AU - Ana Carolina Soares Amaral
AU - Sonny Andrianto
AU - Trefor Aspden
AU - Marios Argyrides
AU - John Jamir Benzon R. Aruta
AU - Stephen Lawrence Atkin
AU - Olusola Ayandele
AU - Miglė Bacevičienė
AU - Radvan Bahbouh
AU - Andrea Ballesio
AU - David Barron
AU - Ashleigh Bellard
AU - Sóley Sesselja Bender
AU - Kerime Derya Beydağ
AU - Gorana Birovljević
AU - Marie-Ève Blackburn
AU - Teresita Borja-Álvarez
AU - Joanna Borowiec
AU - Miroslava Bozogáňová
AU - Solfrid Bratland‐Sanda
AU - Matthew H. E. M. Browning
AU - Anna Brytek‐Matera
AU - Marina Burakova
AU - Yeliz Çakır Koçak
AU - Pablo Camacho Lazarraga
AU - Vittorio Emanuele Camilleri
AU - Valentina Cazzato
AU - Silvia Cerea
AU - Apitchaya Chaiwutikornwanich
AU - Trawin Chaleeraktrakoon
AU - Timothy P. Chambers
AU - Qingwei Chen
AU - Xin Chen
AU - ChinLung Chien
AU - Phatthanakit Chobthamkit
AU - Bovornpot Choompunuch
AU - Emilio Juan Compte
AU - Jennifer Corrigan
AU - Getrude Cosmas
AU - Richard Gregory Cowden
AU - Kamila Czepczor‐Bernat
AU - Marcin Czub
AU - Wanderson Roberto da Silva
AU - Mahboubeh Dadfar
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/05/15
JO - Environment International
DO - 10.1016/j.envint.2026.110277
UR - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2026.110277
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.
SN - 0160-4120
SN - 1873-6750
ER -