Humanness and Contact with Nature

Cheng, Wang, Shi, and Teng report “that perceiving humanness in others . . . significantly impacts a range of crucial outcomes. These outcomes include preserving the well-being of [those] perceived . . . fostering increased levels of empathy and helpfulness . . . and reducing levels of aggressive and violent behaviors directed towards [those perceived]. . . . people who had contact with nature in their immediate living environment were more likely to humanize others. . . . Inducing contact with nature, including making participants stay in a room with plants . . . situating them in a park . . . and asking them to imagine interacting with nature . . . increased humanness attribution to others. . . . viewing images of nature . . . can increase humanness attribution.” Effects were seen in perceptions of other individuals and also of groups; data were collected in China, the US, and the UK.
Lei Cheng, Xijing Wang, Jiaxin Shi, and Fei Teng. 2024. “Nature Contact Increases Perceived Humanness in Others.” Journal of Environmental Psychology, vol. 98, 102389, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2024.102389