Gratitude for Nature: Abundant Appreciation and Rare Reciprocity in Free Response Reflections

Abstract

Gratitude can improve aspects of individuals' mental well-being by increasing satisfaction and happiness; it can also strengthen community and human–human relationships. Scholars have documented that many people feel gratitude for nature, but few have explored the gratitude-toward-nature phenomenon in depth. This study begins from the idea that many definitions of gratitude include two components: appreciation and reciprocity. We explore the relative prevalence of these two components in qualitative data collected from >4000 surveys that inquired about participants' relationships with nature during the COVID-19 pandemic in Vermont, U.S.A. We find that mentions of appreciation (833) overwhelmingly outnumber mentions of reciprocity (34). Of mentions of appreciation, the most frequent object of appreciation was outdoor recreation—participants expressed gratitude for both an abundance of options and ease of access to green space. Of mentions of reciprocity, expressing the desire to care for and engage in stewardship of nature was most frequent. Our primary result—that in our northern U.S. context, most people who express the appreciation dimension of gratitude do not express the reciprocity dimension—raises important questions about how mainstream Western culture conceptualizes human–nature relationships. We conclude with reflections on the sustainability implications of low levels of reciprocity sentiment, and suggest attention to how to foster greater attention to reciprocity to nature.