The Relationship between Nature Relatedness, Trait Emotional Intelligence and Well-Being Priscilla R. Gerofsky Supervisors: Philip A. Vernon, Ph.D. & Erica A. Giammarco, M.Sc. Department of Psychology, Western University Abstract Method Results Prior research has shown that nature relatedness (NR) and trait emotional intelligence (trait EI) are associated with various happiness/well-being measures. However, no prior research has examined the relationship between NR and trait EI. The present study was undertaken to determine which well-being measures are associated with NR and trait EI and to determine if there is any association between NR and trait EI. Participants were 315 adults from 54 countries who completed online questionnaires, which included the Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire (TEIQue-SF), the Nature Relatedness Scale (NR Scale), and five well-being questionnaires. Based on the biophilia hypothesis, which states that humans have an innate need to connect with other life forms, it was hypothesized that well-being would be associated with NR and trait EI, and that NR and trait EI would be positively associated with each other. Correlational analyses showed that all well-being measures were significantly associated with NR and trait EI, and that NR and trait EI were significantly associated with each other. Factor analysis showed an underlying factor shared by the subscales of the TEIQue-SF and the NR Scale. This underlying factor was labelled general connectedness. Results support the view, based on the biophilia hypothesis, that NR and trait EI may be associated with well-being and with each other because both traits fulfill our innate need to connect with other life forms. Materials Correlational Analysis TEIQue-SF NR Scale Petrides, 2009 Measures four dimensions of trait EI and global trait EI 30 items, 7-point scale Nisbet et al., 2009 Measures three aspects of NR and overall NR 21 items, 5-point scale NR had small to moderate correlations with all well-being measures (Table1) Trait EI had moderate to strong correlations with all well-being measures (Table 1) NR and trait EI were positively correlated with each other, r (313) = .41, p < .01 315 adults from 54 countries 88 female, 226 male, 1 unspecified 18 to 62 years (M = 32.10; SD = 9.00) Participants Factor Analysis Hedonic Well-Being Measures Eudaimonic Well-Being Measures Positive & Negative Affect Schedule Watson et al., 1988 20 items, 5-point scale 10 items measure positive affect 10 items measure negative affect Satisfaction with Life Scale Diener et al., 1985 Five items, 6-point scale Subjective Happiness Scale Lyubomirsky & Lepper, 1999 Four items, 7-point scale Vitality Scale Ryan & Frederick, 1997 Six items, 7-point scale Psychological Well-Being Inventory Ryff,1989 Measures six facets/dimensions: > Positive relations with others > Environmental mastery > Personal growth > Self-acceptance > Purpose in life > Autonomy Nine items per facet, 6-point scale Principal axis analysis was conducted using the subscales of the NR scale and the TEIQue-SF to determine if these variables have a common underlying factor Two factors were yielded: > first factor explained 44% of the variance > second factor explained 10% of the variance Prior to rotation: > all variables had positive loadings on the first factor, ranging from .33 to .83 (Table 2) After oblimin rotation: > subscales of the NR Scale loaded onto one rotated factor (Table 2) > subscales of the TEIQue-SF loaded onto the second rotated factor (Table 2) Procedure Participants recruited online via Crowdflower Questionnaires completed online via Fluidsurveys Seven self-report questionnaires using Likert scales Questionnaires completed in under 30 minutes Introduction The importance of happiness has led to an increase in search of factors that affect happiness. Two factors that have been found to be associated with happiness/well-being are NR and trait EI. It is suggested that these associations may be explained by the biophilia hypothesis, and that NR and trait EI may be associated because both traits involve our innate need to connect with other life forms. Table 1 Discussion Correlations between NR, Trait EI and Well-Being All Hypotheses Supported Well-Being Measures NR Trait EI Hedonic Well-Being Positive Affect .39* .54* Negative Affect -.24* -.55* Satisfaction with Life .25* .48* Subjective Happiness .36* .62* Eudaimonic Well-Being Vitality .42* .58* Positive Relations with Others .40* .73* Environmental Mastery .38* .79* Personal Growth .44* .67* Self-Acceptance .71* Purpose in Life .70* Autonomy .31* .57* Happiness/Well-Being Defined Results support the view, based on the biophilia hypothesis, that NR and trait EI may be associated with well-being and with each other because both traits fulfill our innate need to connect with other life forms Hedonic/Subjective Well-Being: concerned with emotions, feelings, pleasure Eudaimonic/Psychological Well-Being: concerned with self-fulfillment, self-actualization NR and Well-Being Biophilia Hypothesis (Wilson, 1984) First hypothesis supported: results suggest that those who are more connected with nature tend to experience greater hedonic and eudaimonic well-being Results support the biophilia hypothesis and help resolve the inconsistencies in previous studies using these same well-being measures (Nisbet et al., 2011; Zelenski & Nisbet, 2014) Humans have an innate need to connect with other life forms Suggests that connecting with nature contributes to our well-being Extending this to include our innate need to connect with people (Gunderson, 2014), suggests that NR and trait EI contribute to our well-being because both traits involve connecting with other life forms (Figure 1) Trait EI and Well-Being Connecting with Nature (NR) Connecting with Other Life Forms (Underlying General Connectedness Factor) Hedonic & Eudaimonic Well-Being Second hypothesis supported: consistent with previous studies, those who are higher in trait EI tend to experience greater hedonic and eudaimonic well-being (Andrei et al., 2014) Connecting with People (Trait EI) NR and Trait EI Third hypothesis supported: NR and trait EI were positively correlated, suggesting that these two traits have something in common Factor analysis not only confirmed that NR and trait EI are distinct constructs, but also showed that NR and trait EI have a common underlying factor This underlying factor could be called general connectedness as suggested by the biophilia hypothesis, if it is extended to include our innate need to connect with other people Figure 1. Path diagram showing the relationship between variables based on the biophilia hypothesis. * p < .01 Nature Relatedness (NR; Nisbet et al., 2009) Table 2 NR: Connecting with nature through one’s feelings, thoughts and experiences Previous Correlational Findings: NR associated with well-being measures, but inconsistencies because some well-being measures not always associated with NR (Nisbet et al., 2011; Zelenski & Nisbet, 2014) First Research Question: Which well-being measures are associated with NR? Factor Matrix Using Principal Axis Factoring Before and After Oblimin Rotation Before Rotation After Rotation Variables Factor 1 Factor 2 TEIQue-SF Subscales Well-Being .81 -.09 .76 .10 Self-Control .68 -.14 .69 .01 Emotionality .77 -.16 .79 -.00 Sociability -.22 .82 -.07 Auxiliary Questions .83 .84 NR Subscales NR-Self .50 .56 -.03 NR-Perspective .33 .24 .08 .36 NR-Experience .44 .52 .04 .70 Limitations and Future Research Trait Emotional Intelligence (trait EI; Furnham & Petrides, 2003) Correlations do not demonstrate causality: future experimental studies are required to determine if NR and trait EI are causally related to well-being, and to determine if NR and trait EI can be changed in order to improve well-being A quasi-experimental study suggested that NR can be changed and three experimental studies suggested that trait EI can be changed through training (Nelis et al., 2011; Nelis et al., 2009; Nisbet et al., 2011) Because this is the first study to examine the relationship between NR and trait EI, future studies are required to confirm this relationship Trait EI: Disposition to understand and regulate our emotions and others’ emotions Previous Correlational Findings: Trait EI consistently associated with well-being (Andrei et al., 2014) If the benefits of both trait EI and NR can be explained by the biophilia hypothesis, perhaps there is an association between these traits because of an underlying general connectedness factor (Figure 1) Second Research Question: Is there an association between NR and trait EI? Hypotheses Based on the biophilia hypothesis: 1. NR will be significantly associated with all well-being measures 2. Trait EI will be significantly associated with all well-being measures 3. NR and trait EI will be positively associated with each other