Plain Language Summary: Individual traits are associated with pro-environmental behavior: Environmental Sensitivity, Nature Connectedness, and Consideration for Future Consequences.

By Helen Dunne, Francesca Lionetti, Michael Pluess, and Annalisa Setti.

Read the full paper here.

Individual characteristics may foster or hinder our connection with nature and our tendency to behave in a sustainable manner. When we consider the physical and social environment which we are immersed in, we all respond in different ways and to different degrees. Some people, with higher Sensory Processing Sensitivity, notice things that others do not, have low sensory thresholds, they emotionally respond more to positive and negative stimulation, i.e. they are easily excitable, and are more prone to enjoy aesthetic beauty. In previous work, we showed that people with Higher Sensory Processing Sensitivity are more connected with the natural environment. In this work, in a large group of people, we show that the higher one is on a Sensory Processing Sensitivity scale, the more one acts pro-environmentally. This is because a higher sensitivity is characterized by higher nature connectedness and higher consideration of the consequences of one’s actions.

We surveyed over 800 people from different countries about their Sensory Processing Sensitivity, their tendency to experience awe, their nature connectedness, their consideration of future consequences of actions and their pro-environmental behaviour. We found that nature connectedness and consideration of future consequences both mediated the relationship between Sensory Processing Sensitivity and pro-environmental behaviour. These findings align with the UN Sustainable Development Goals 10 and 13, as they show how individual traits can support climate action. We suggest that a deeper understanding of individual differences is needed to support climate action in the wider population.