Background: Few specific nature-based PPIs have been developed and tested. A series of studies were run to help establish the previously developed “Noticing Nature” (NN) intervention (Passmore & Holder, 2017) as a valid PPI through replication and comparison to a common PPI, Three Good Things (3GT).
Hypotheses: Engaging in the NN intervention was expected to effect significantly greater boosts to wellbeing than engaging in the 3GT intervention or placebo-control activity.
Sample Characteristics and Size: Four samples of undergraduate/graduate participants from three countries were utilized (N=784): Canada (n=320, 198), China (n=193), and United States (n=73). These samples were combined with two previous samples (Ns=395,173) for meta-analytic purposes.
Design: Participants were randomly assigned to engage daily, for two weeks, in either the NN or the 3GT intervention, or a placebo-control activity. The NN intervention consists of noticing daily what emotions are evoked by the nature encountered in one’s daily routine.
Results: Participants who engaged in NN reported significantly higher levels of net-positive affect, elevation, and transcendent connectedness (.24<ds<.99) compared to placebo-control, and significantly higher levels of elevation and transcendent connectedness compared to 3GT (ds=54,.37), despite participants not spending more time in nature than other participants. Non-inferiority analyses revealed that NN was as effective as 3GT at boosting net-positive affect and reducing stress (-Δd=0.20;p<.001). Participants engaged in NN (vs 3GT) on significantly more days post-intervention (d=.36); elevation remained significantly higher in the NN (vs. 3GT) intervention one-week post-intervention (d=.27). Meta-analysis of the six samples supported the efficacy of NN as a PPI for boosting net-positive affect, elevation, and transcendent connectedness (ds=.27,.31,.38).
Scientific Contribution: Results provide support for the “Noticing Nature” intervention as an effective PPI in which people are likely to remain engaged with, and which boosts aspects of wellbeing beyond those enhanced by the common PPI, Three Good Things.