Mindful engagement, psychological restoration, and connection with nature in constrained nature experiences

Abstract Research indicates that heightened individual engagement in nature can improve psychological benefits of nature experiences, yet the current literature lacks robust consideration for how this occurs. Constrained nature experiences – such as busy, noisy urban environments – may undermine individual capacities to engage with nature, prompting the question of how engagement functions across different nature experiences. To address this gap, we draw on mindfulness as a framework to examine the pathways in which engagement in nature supports psychological restoration and connection with nature. We appraise existing literature and identify three key mechanisms underpinning mindful engagement in nature: perceptual sensitivity, decentering, and non-reactivity. This new framework provides a basis to examine mindful engagement in constrained nature experiences, where we find that the self-regulatory mechanisms of mindful engagement have a more direct role in supporting outcomes.