"The sound of the spring is clear under the moonlight, and the bamboo color is new after the rain. In between, there is the true self, and the banquet is held in the Shen Shen direction." Song Dynasty poet Chen Yuyi depicted a fresh, peaceful, and beautiful natural landscape. People living in it can experience the true self that is difficult to feel in daily life and the joy it brings. This poem suggests that it can naturally promote one's own authenticity.
In recent years, modernization has increasingly led to alienation of people and brought a large number of modern diseases to modern people. Therefore, the pursuit of the true self is becoming a call of the times. Correspondingly, self authenticity has become one of the hot topics in current self research. In psychology, self authenticity refers to the degree to which people perceive and act as their true selves. Previous studies have shown that authenticity has many benefits in contemporary society. Authenticity can promote individual physical and mental health, as well as enhance moral standards and organizational effectiveness.
However, how to promote and enhance one's authenticity? Currently, a small amount of research focuses on the relationship between individual characteristics and some social contexts with authenticity. Inspired by the above poems and other traditional Chinese wisdom, Cai Huajian's research group of the Institute of Psychology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences proposed the hypothesis that nature can promote individual self authenticity and improve individual mental health and well-being. To verify this hypothesis, Cai Huajian's research team conducted 12 studies that confirmed from various aspects that nature can promote self authenticity, and analyzed its underlying psychological mechanisms and positive effects on mental health.
The study confirmed the correlation between nature and authenticity through two surveys. Research has found that participants who grow flowers and plants in their residential areas have a higher sense of natural connection and authenticity than those who do not. At the same time, there is a significant positive correlation between natural connection and authenticity, that is, the higher the reported natural connection, the higher the authenticity. The study further found that participants in urban parks reported higher authenticity than those in shopping malls, meaning that the closer they were to real nature, the higher their perceived authenticity.
The study further demonstrated the causal relationship between natural enhancement of authenticity from multiple perspectives through a series of randomized experiments. In the study, participants were randomly assigned to urban parks (natural environment) and shopping malls (urban environment). On site experiments have found that individuals in natural environments report higher authenticity compared to urban environments. Subsequent experimental studies have found that different forms of contact with nature, such as viewing natural environment images and videos, and creating natural paintings, can significantly enhance an individual's authenticity.
Researchers have further investigated the underlying mechanisms by which nature promotes authenticity through relevant and experimental research. It was found that autonomy, positive emotions, self-esteem, and mindfulness can all to some extent mediate the promoting effect of nature on authenticity. Among them, the mediating effect of self-esteem is particularly prominent. It is worth mentioning that these results have cultural universality.
The team conducted research on the aftereffects of natural promotion of authenticity through experimental research and follow-up intervention research. It was found that natural induced authenticity has a significant positive promoting effect on individual mental health. The study found through video manipulation that through the continuous mediation of self-esteem and authenticity, individuals can naturally enhance their life satisfaction and sense of life meaning. This work conducts follow-up intervention research by adopting seasonal green plants. It was found that one month of green plant cultivation and observation can significantly enhance an individual's authenticity, thereby reducing daily feelings of depression, anxiety, and stress, and improving individual life satisfaction and sense of life significance.
In summary, research has found that various forms of closeness or contact with nature can enhance an individual's authenticity, enhance their mental health, happiness, and sense of meaning in life.
The relevant research results are published online in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. The research work is supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China and the Open Fund of the Behavioral Science Key Laboratory of the Institute of Psychology.
The correlation diagram between natural connectivity and authenticity
