Dispositional Mindfulness Is Associated with Greater Nature Connectedness and Self-Reported Ecological Behavior

Environmental problems are worsening as human behavior continues to damage the environment. However, not all human behavior has negative environmental consequences, and many people make concerted efforts to behave in environmentally sensitive ways. Yet, the personal qualities that contribute to ecological behavior remain imprecisely characterized. The present study explored two individual difference variables believed to support ecological behavior: (1) dispositional mindfulness and (2) nature connectedness. In this pursuit, two participant samples (N = 54, N = 299) completed self-report surveys on dispositional mindfulness, mindfulness practice involvement, nature connectedness, and ecological behavior. Path analysis revealed positive associations between dispositional mindfulness, nature connectedness, and self-reported ecological behavior, with nature connectedness found to mediate the relationship between dispositional mindfulness and self-reported ecological behavior in both samples. Examining the multidimensional dispositional mindfulness construct more granularly, results indicated the mindful tendency to observe internal and external events nonjudgmentally was particularly important for self-reported ecological behavior. Finally, mindfulness practitioners reported greater nature connectedness and more self-reported ecological behavior. Implications of these findings for human ecological behavior are explored.