PsyEcology: Bilingual Journal of Environmental Psychology

The aim of this study is to analyse the role of place attachment in young people’s community involvement compared to community satisfaction and social trust. The hypothesis put forward is that place attachment will have greater relevance in explaining community involvement than community satisfaction and social trust. A total of 243 young individuals responded to a questionnaire that included items about social participation, place attachment, satisfaction with community resources and social trust. In the structural model tested, which obtained an adequate fit, the latent variable Community Involvement, encompassing Individual Participation in the Neighbourhood, Community Participation in the Neighbourhood, Neighbourhood Civic Participation and Individual Civic Participation, was significantly predicted by Place Attachment and Social Trust. Community Satisfaction showed a positive but not significant association. The three variables explained 73.4% of the variance in Community Involvement. These results highlight the role of emotional ties to a place and social trust in promoting community engagement among young people.

As nature is increasingly encountered on screens, we examine how an unscripted slow-TV wildlife livestream, Den Stora Älgvandringen (The Great Moose Migration, DSÄ), supports restoration, well-being, and human–nature connection. In 2024 we fielded an online survey (N = 2,011) and combined reflexive thematic analysis with logistic regressions on theme mentions. Seven themes emerged: Unpredictability/Live, Sensory Immersion, Format Appreciation, Calmness, Authenticity & Realness, Social Engagement, and Well-Being. Viewers described folding DSÄ into daily routines for micro-restoration and companionship; high-fidelity soundscapes and unedited visuals underpinned immersion, while live chat and shared rituals fostered communal co-presence. Modelling indicated modest demographic and attitudinal correlations of theme mentions (e.g., age, access to nature, environmental concern), consistent with multifactorial social phenomena. Together, the findings suggest that slow-TV nature cultivates attentional ease, perceived authenticity, and shared meaning-making that complement direct nature contact. We outline design principles for digital nature content that preserves ecological integrity, supports slow attention, and enables inclusive access.

There is growing evidence indicating that “green exercise” offers benefits for health and well-being, both in the short and long term. This study explores the psychological benefits of hiking in nature among people living in urban areas. A total of 181 hikers participating in 10 group guided hiking routes in mountain areas were enrolled in this study. With an ex post facto design, a statistically significant increase was observed after hiking in dominance and self-efficacy, both with large effect sizes (Cohen’s d = .8) and in affective valence and social bonding, with very large effect sizes (d = 1.8 and d = 2.3, respectively). Likewise, a large reduction in stress was observed (d = −.8). No significant trends were observed for fatigue, attention, or arousal. Gender, education level, economic income, loneliness, and region of residence appeared to be related to interindividual variability in outcomes. It is concluded that green exercise can improve psychological health, and some personal and environmental associated factors to these benefits should be considered.

Voluntary simplicity is a lifestyle characterised by a voluntary reduction in consumption for personal, social and/or environmental reasons. It may be oriented towards a search for balance or personal meaning (independent self) or towards social change related to environmental awareness or community aspects (interdependent self). Using a multidimensional perspective of self-construal, we experimentally analyse social perceptions surrounding self-construal of those who practise voluntary simplicity compared to a materialistic consumption style and a normative control group. We conducted the first study in Chile (n = 234) and the second in Spain (n = 230), subsequently performing a pooled analysis (n = 464). Those who practise voluntary simplicity were perceived as more interdependent in terms of Self-Construal and Inclusion of Others in the Self compared to those who pursue materialistic consumption but more independent than those who adopt a normative consumption lifestyle.

The goal of this research is to study the psychosocial differences between two profiles of environmental ethics, namely biocentrism and anthropocentrism, which entail greater and lesser moral inclusivity, respectively. It studies their correlates and both orientations’ relationship with a behavioural commitment to social and environmental causes. Regarding methodology, an online questionnaire was used with a sample of 353 participants. Descriptive, correlative, regression and mediation analyses were performed to check the hypotheses. The results indicate that biocentrism and anthropocentrism are two distinct orientations of beliefs about the moral status of living beings. Biocentric beliefs play an important role in involvement in social participation actions for causes both human and nature-related, while anthropocentric beliefs do not have this capacity for mobilisation. Finally, given that the results provide new evidence, possible theoretical and practical implications and future avenues of research are discussed.

This study examined the relationship between individual and contextual factors that promote pro-environmental behaviors by integrating insights from previous research. Among 380 Italian university students, a positive association was found between autonomous motivation and intrinsic life aspirations. Controlled motivation was positively related to a perceived controlling governing style and extrinsic life aspirations but negatively associated with intrinsic aspirations. Pro-environmental behaviors were positively linked to autonomous motivation and negatively to extrinsic life aspirations. An indirect association was observed between intrinsic life aspirations and pro-environmental behaviors via autonomous motivation. Overall, these findings reinforce prior research and underscore the central role of life aspirations in fostering pro-environmental behaviors. The study highlights the importance of individual motivation and aspirations in promoting environmentally conscious action, emphasizing the need to encourage values that support collective well-being.