Cultivating Care Through Nature: A Meta-Analysis of Nature Connectedness and Prosociality

Abstract

While the environmental benefits of nature connectedness are well documented, its potential to promote human-directed prosociality remains underexplored. This meta-analysis synthesizes evidence from 20 independent samples (n = 34,512) to examine the association between nature connectedness and human-directed prosociality. Results revealed a robust positive correlation (r = 0.33, p < 0.001), indicating that individuals who feel more connected to nature are more likely to engage in helping behaviors, cooperation, and empathetic responses. The relationship strengthens with age and is more pronounced among adults from the general population than among student samples. Moreover, affective and multidimensional measures of nature connectedness showed stronger associations with prosociality than purely cognitive indices. These findings highlight the central role of affective bonds with nature in shaping prosocial orientation. Framed within the perspective of moral expansiveness, these findings demonstrate that caring for nature and caring for others are intertwined expressions of a broader self–world connection. Practically, interventions that cultivate emotional and experiential connections may simultaneously enhance environmental stewardship, social cohesion, and well-being, offering a psychologically informed strategy to promote sustainability education and social well-being.