How does nature in the city make us happy? The role of affect and connectedness to nature / ¿Cómo nos hace felices la naturaleza en la ciudad? El papel del afecto y la conexión con la naturaleza

Abstract

Climate change is generating harmful consequences, specifically in urban environments. Re/naturalizing urban areas and stimulating the connectedness to nature of a significant number of individuals may be responses to mitigate these effects. The main objective of this study is to investigate the interactions between perceived exposure to nature in the city in terms of quality and frequency, positive and negative affect, and subjective well-being by considering connectedness to nature as a moderator of these interactions. Data were collected by convenience using an online questionnaire. Participants had been living for at least one year in a French city of more than 100,000 inhabitants. The final sample consisted of N = 479 participants. Structural equation modelling showed that perceived exposure to nature in the city improves positive affect that contributes to subjective well-being and that the more connected individuals are to nature, the better. Implications and perspectives are discussed for the mitigation of the deleterious effects of climate change.