The awareness aspect of trait mindfulness, but not the acceptance aspect, predicts engagement with natural beauty

The natural world often evokes feelings of beauty, and it is known that appreciation of beauty in nature is associated with a number of beneficial outcomes, such as well-being and proenvironmental behaviours. Here we aimed to increase our understanding of the psychological factors related to engagement with natural beauty, by investigating the relationship between engagement with natural beauty and trait mindfulness. Specifically, the current research aimed to examine whether the awareness aspect, or the acceptance aspect, of dispositional mindfulness was associated with aesthetic responses to the natural world. In an online survey (N = 268), trait mindfulness was assessed with the bidimensional Philadelphia Mindfulness Scale. Aesthetic responses to the natural world were assessed with the Engagement with Natural Beauty scale. Participants with higher levels of the awareness facet of trait mindfulness reported significantly higher levels of engagement with natural beauty, while controlling for connectedness to nature and openness to experience. The acceptance aspect of dispositional mindfulness did not predict engagement with natural beauty. We speculate that participants with increased levels of the awareness aspect of mindfulness likely have an increased capacity to notice and receive sensory impressions from the natural world, and may be more attuned to their ongoing bodily sensations, thus allowing them to be more aware of natural beauty, and their physical and affective responses to that beauty. The results are useful for the development of effective ways (for example, mindful awareness exercise) to increase engagement with natural beauty, which could in turn enhance the benefits associated with being in natural environments