Trait emotional intelligence and ecological outcomes: the role of connectedness to nature.

BACKGROUND: Global climate change is recognized as a major and irreversible challenge for humanity, requiring people's responsible and sustainable behaviors toward the environment. So far, the literature has widely investigated the role of cognitive determinants of ecological outcomes (e.g., pro-environmental behaviors and climate change perception), while less attention has been devoted to emotional processes, such as trait emotional intelligence (TEI). The current double study investigates whether TEI is directly and indirectly associated with climate change perception (CCP, Study 1) and pro-environmental behaviors (PEBs, Study 2) among young adults. Furthermore, the mediating role of connectedness to nature (CN), both as cognitive and emotional factors, was also analyzed. We hypothesized that CN (i.e., cognitive mediator) would positively mediate the relationship between TEI and CCP (H1), and Love and Care for Nature (LCN, i.e., emotional mediator) would positively mediate the relationship between TEI and PEBs (H2). METHODS: The study involved 342 young adults (F = 60.7%; age 19-40; Mage=22.99; SD = 2.66) in Study 1 and 365 young adults (F = 71.2%; age 17-35; Mage=22.2; SD = 3.98) in Study 2. Data were collected through an online tool shared by the snowball method. We administered the following self-reports: Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire- Short Form (TEIQue- SF), Global Climate Change (GCC), and Connectedness to Nature Scale (CNS) (Study 1); Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire- Short Form (TEIQue-SF), General Environmental Behaviors Scale (GEB), and Love and Care for Nature (LCN) (Study 2). RESULTS: Findings from Study 1 showed that higher TEI levels enhance CN (i.e., cognitive mediator), positively influencing CCP (estimate = 0.14; 95% CI = 0.07 to 0.23). Findings from Study 2 showed that higher TEI levels are associated with higher LCN levels (i.e., emotional mediator), influencing people's engagement in PEBs (estimate = 0.7; 95% CI = 0.03 to 0.11). CONCLUSION: It is crucial to design environmental education programs that promote greater emotional intelligence ability and encourage individuals' involvement in ecological outcomes.

Contact with Nature in Social Deprivation during COVID-19: The Positive Impact on Anxiety.

The 2019 outbreak of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) had a devastating impact on millions of people worldwide. Following the constantly changing course of the pandemic, the Italian government massively restricted public and private life to prevent the further spread of the virus. Unfortunately, lockdown policies negatively impacted many people's mental and physical health. Numerous studies recognized an essential role of urban green areas in promoting human well-being. The present study aims to evaluate the effect of personal dispositions towards nature, measured using the connectedness to nature scale (CNS) and actual contact with green spaces (CwN) on human well-being (i.e., anxiety) and medicine intake during COVID-19 lockdowns. A total of 637 Italian residents answered a survey aimed at gathering information about the above variables. A series of path analyses were performed. The results showed that the CNS was positively associated with the CwN, and the latter, in turn, was negatively associated with anxiety. Finally, anxiety was positively related to medicine intake. In sum, these results identify the positive role of person-nature relationships for individual well-being during COVID-19 restrictions.

My Parents Taught Green Was My Growth! The Role of Intergenerational Transmission of Ecological Values in Young Adults' Pro-Environmental Behaviors and Their Psychosocial Mechanisms.

Past research on pro-environmental behaviors (PEBs) has identified several psychosocial determinants, ranging from personal values to attitudes-mostly environmental concerns-and norms. Less attention has been devoted to the role of affect and identity processes, until recently, when investigations began into the emotional connections with nature and environmental identity, i.e., one's self-concept in relation to the natural world. Finally, research into the parent-child transmission of ecological values was recently developed. We aimed to analyze the role of the above-mentioned variables in predicting different PEBs, within a comprehensive framework. We hypothesized a chain relationship between the ecological values of parents and mothers, the ecological values of their children, environmental concerns, affect towards nature, environmental identity, and PEBs, as the final outcomes. In a cross-sectional exploratory study, an online questionnaire was administered to 175 young Italian adults. Validated scales to measure the above variables and socio-demographics were included. The results showed a different pattern of predictors for each PEB. Overall, the importance of the emotional connection with nature and environmental identity in predicting PEBs has clearly emerged. Finally, the role of intergenerational transmission of ecological values in PEBs, with differences between the influence of fathers and mothers, is outlined. The study provides a more integrative view of PEBs by considering the variety of human processes. Theoretical and practical implications of results are discussed.

Analyzing the Perceived Utility of Covid-19 Countermeasures: The Role of Pronominalization, Moral Foundations, Moral Disengagement, Fake News Embracing, and Health Anxiety.

An online survey (N = 210) is presented on how the perceived utility of correct and exaggerated countermeasures against Covid-19 is affected by different pronominalization strategies (impersonal form, you, we). In evaluating the pronominalization effect, we have statistically controlled for the roles of several personal characteristics: Moral Disengagement, Moral Foundations, Health Anxiety, and Embracing of Fake News. Results indicate that, net of personal proclivities, the you form decreases the perceived utility of exaggerated countermeasures, possibly due to simulation processes. As a second point, through a Structural Equation Model, we show that binding moral values (Authority, Ingroup, and Purity) positively predict both fake news embracing and perceived utility of exaggerated countermeasures, while individualizing moral values (Harm and Fairness) negatively predict fake news embracing and positively predict the perceived utility of correct countermeasures. Lastly, fake news embracing showed a doubly bad effect: not only does it lead people to judge exaggerated countermeasures as more useful; but, more dangerously, it brings them to consider correct countermeasures as less useful in the struggle against the pandemic.