Wellbeing, nature connection and vaccine attitudes: A convergent mixed methods study in Wim Hof Method practitioners

Abstract

Amidst global challenges like the COVID-19 pandemic and the climate crisis, there’s a pressing need for strategies that improve wellbeing. This study investigates the Wim Hof Method (WHM) as a potential tool for enhancing wellbeing and its influence on related aspects including nature connectedness and health attitudes, including vaccine uptake. We conducted a mixed-methods study involving an online survey with 192 UK-based WHM practitioners and in-depth interviews with 15 of these participants. The focus was on their wellbeing, perceptions of climate change, and decisions regarding vaccine use during the COVID pandemic. Following exclusions, a total of 132 participants were available for quantitative analysis. Findings revealed higher levels of wellbeing among WHM practitioners relative to pre-pandemic (d= 0.78) and pandemic-era (d= 1.32) benchmarks. Notably, nature connectedness was found to mediate the relationship between WHM practice and enhanced wellbeing (p