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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Psychol.
Sec. Environmental Psychology
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1397148

Nature Relatedness, Flow Experience, and Environmental Behaviors in Nature-Based Leisure Activities

Provisionally accepted
Andaç Akcakese Andaç Akcakese 1Mehmet Demirel Mehmet Demirel 1Alperen F. Yolcu Alperen F. Yolcu 1Huseyin Gumus Huseyin Gumus 2Cihan Ayhan Cihan Ayhan 3Halil Sarol Halil Sarol 4Özkan IŞIK Özkan IŞIK 5,6Duygu Demirel Duygu Demirel 7Leonard Stoica Leonard Stoica 8*
  • 1 Department of Recreation Management, Faculty of Tourism, Necmettin Erbakan University, Karatay, Konya, Türkiye
  • 2 Department of Recreation, Faculty of Sports Science, Mersin University, Mersin, Mersin, Türkiye
  • 3 Department of Recreation, Faculty of Sports Science, Sakarya University of Applied Scienc, Sakarya, Sakarya, Türkiye
  • 4 Department of Recreation, Faculty of Sport Sciences, Gazi University, Ankara, Ankara, Türkiye
  • 5 Department of Coaching Education, Faculty of Sports Sciences, Balikesir University, Balikesir, Balikesir, Türkiye
  • 6 Faculty of Sports Science, Balıkesir University, Balikesir, Balıkesir, Türkiye
  • 7 Ahmet Keleşoğlu Faculty of Education, Necmettin Erbakan University, Karatay, Konya, Türkiye
  • 8 Faculty of Physical Education and Sport, Dunarea de Jos University, Galați, Romania

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Through nature-based leisure activities, spending time in nature offers opportunities to reduce stress, relax the mind, and enhance feelings of well-being. Being aware of the benefits provided by these activities increases the nature relatedness, and during the time spent in nature, it enables experiencing positive and satisfying moments by entering into a state of flow. The concepts of nature-relatedness and flow experience represent psychological experiences and characteristics that play an important role in enhancing psychological well-being and life quality. In this study, based on structural equation models, the relationships among nature-relatedness, flow experience, and environmental behaviors were investigated. Data were collected from 379 individuals (212 male, 167 female) who regularly engage in nature-based leisure activities such as cycling, hiking, and fishing. The participants were predominantly male (55.9%) and aged 45 years and over (53.3%). Our analysis revealed that nature-relatedness significantly influences flow experience (R² = .505, p < 0.01), environmental behavior (R² = .108, p < 0.01), environmental sensitivity (R² = .137, p < 0.01), and communication with nature (R² = .200, p < 0.01). Specifically, nature-relatedness directly enhanced environmental sensitivity (.494 total effect), environmental behavior (.604 total effect), and communication with nature (.599 total effect) and did so both directly and indirectly through the mediation of flow experience. In conclusion, a higher level of nature-relatedness can lead to a stronger flow experience, which in turn can increase positive environmental behavior, environmental sensitivity, and communication with nature.

    Keywords: leisure, outdoor recreation, flow experience, nature, environment

    Received: 15 Mar 2024; Accepted: 07 May 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Akcakese, Demirel, Yolcu, Gumus, Ayhan, Sarol, IŞIK, Demirel and Stoica. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Leonard Stoica, Faculty of Physical Education and Sport, Dunarea de Jos University, Galați, Romania

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.