Kama muta is a social relational emotion, which English speakers often label as being moved or touched. Despite its important role for connecting to other human beings, its significance has not yet been explored in the context of nature. This qualitative study is the first to use photo elicitation to investigate a distinct emotion in the context of outdoor nature experiences. Specifically, we explored the emotion of kama muta and its role for connecting in and to nature. University students (N = 27) were provided with disposable cameras and asked to take photographs of significant moments during their time in the outdoors. In follow-up interviews, participants talked about their experiences using their own photographs (N = 559) as prompts. Photo elicitation was found to be an effective catalyst for participants to recall and report their emotional experiences. Thematic analysis of the interview transcripts and 108 photographs identified four main themes that highlighted kama muta: connecting (1) to others, (2) to nature, (3) to human-made material, and (4) the self. These findings applied to both outdoor nature experiences relatively close to city and relatively far from city. Future research should focus on the interaction of kama muta and other social relational emotions, such as awe, when further investigating the pathways that lead to nature connectedness and well-being.
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