Nurtured by nature: Body appreciation and adaptive appearance management increase with nature exposure

Abstract

Nature-based interventions have demonstrated positive effects on health behaviours and psychological states. Recent research has expanded to investigate the impact of nature exposure on body image, leaving ample room for further exploration into the influence of nature exposure on positive concerns related to appearance management. This paper examined the effect of nature exposure on body appreciation, adaptive appearance management, and the underlying psychological mechanism through an outdoor field study and two psychological experiments. Study 1 demonstrated that natural outdoor recreation increased body appreciation, and this effect was mediated by individuals' level of nature connectedness. Study 2 found that viewing images of natural outdoor environments facilitated greater adaptive appearance management. This relationship was sequentially mediated by both nature connectedness and body appreciation. Study 3 conducted a field study and revealed that viewing images of natural outdoor environments not only fostered body appreciation but also influenced participants’ intention to purchase grooming products, which are regarded as practices related to adaptive appearance management. These findings provide empirical evidence regarding the beneficial outcomes of exposure to natural outdoor environment, thereby contributing to the advancement of knowledge in the domain of body image and appearance management.