Green mind, healthy mind: investigating nature's role in students' health-related quality of life in China.

Background: Connectedness to nature is a psychological concept describing an individual's emotional and cognitive bond with the natural environment. The relationships between Big Five personality traits and environmental connectedness have emerged as a crucial area of study in understanding human well-being and behavior.

Aim: This research seeks to understand the complex relationships between Extraversion and Neuroticism, connectedness to nature, and their subsequent impact on Health-related quality of life (HRQOL) among Chinese college students through flourishing.

Method: The sample for this study was comprised of Chinese college students (N = 1640) between 18 and 25 years old who answered a self-report survey.

Results: The findings showed that Extraversion has an impact on HRQOL, mediated through Connectedness to Nature and more so through Flourishing. Moreover, the analyses supported the hypothesis that the negative impact of neuroticism on HRQOL operates significantly through diminished flourishing and, to a lesser extent, reduced connectedness to nature.

Conclusion: These results underline the importance of addressing Flourishing in interventions aimed at mitigating the detrimental effects of Neuroticism on quality of life, suggesting that enhancing Flourishing and Connectedness to Nature may serve as valuable targets for psychological interventions in individuals with high levels of Neuroticism.