This conceptual paper aims to develop a better understanding of how the perceived restorativeness of nature might affect pro-environmental behavior. The discussion and a related theoretical model are based on an introductory question: “Is Pro-Environmental Behaviour a Matter of Attention Restoration?” The model illustrates possible relationships between environmental knowledge, affective connection and environmental concern and their effect on perceived restorativeness (PR) of nature and eventually on pro-environmental behavior.
The concept of “perceived restorativeness” (PR) is based on what the literature refers to as “Attention Restoration Theory” (ART). According to this theory, mental fatigue can be improved by engagement with nature. Nature is restorative in the sense that it encourages more effortless attention, thereby allowing the brain to recover and replenish its ability for directed attention. Not all people are aware of how exposure to nature can aid in restoration from mental fatigue. This lack of awareness may be influenced by both cognitive and affective components of people's conceptualization of Nature. The affective component is sometimes referred to as “connection to nature” (CN), which is the extent to which people feel that they are a part of the natural world. CN is more than an environmental preference; it's also a predictor of intentions to engage with the natural environment.
Connection to Nature is presented in the theoretical model as a key component to fostering ecological behavior or environmental concern (EC). This is based on the idea that a weak affective connection to the natural world undermines environmental knowledge, the cognitive component of one's conceptualization of nature. Perceived restorativeness of nature is presented as an alternative source of motivation, in that it reinforces the relation between environmental knowledge and pro-environmental behavior. People who see the natural environment as a source of restoration are more likely to behave pro-environmentally.
Connection to nature tends to weaken over one's life-span, and this can have a direct effect on one's commitment to and knowledge of the environment. Because the Attention Restoration Theory applies to both adults and children, fostering pro-environmental behavior with people of any age group may depend on promoting more positive attitude toward the psychological benefits associated with exposure to natural environments. Increasing exposure to nature at a young age is especially important, as direct and frequent engagement with nature during childhood can promote positive attitudes toward nature and an appreciation of its potential restorative effects in adults.
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