Abstract
It is believed that about 90% of the land area in the Philippines was once covered with forests. Today, Philippine forests have decreased to <20% due to deforestation and urbanization, and it is projected that the near annihilation of the forests in the country could happen within the next decades if the present rate of deforestation continues. Consequently, changes in people’s values brought about by urbanization and the national drive for economic progress were associated with surges in mental health problems and reduced well-being. Drawing from the Eco-Existential Positive Psychology Perspective and the Biophilia Hypothesis, the present study examined the mediating role of meaning in life as a mechanism that facilitates the influence of nature connectedness and materialism on well-being among persons from the Philippines. Parallel mediation models were tested using 589 participants. Results showed that both presence of meaning and search for meaning in life mediated the positive association between nature connectedness and well-being. On the other hand, presence of meaning, but not search for meaning, mediated the negative association between materialism and well-being. The results of the present study advanced our understanding of how satisfaction of one’s need to affiliate with nature and materialism contribute to well-being in the Philippine context. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
Data Availability
The data used in this study can be made available to any party upon reasonable request.
References
Abdel-Khalek, A. M. (2014). Religiosity and well-being in the Muslim context. In C. Kim-Prieto (Ed.), Religion and spirituality across cultures (pp. 71–85). New York: Springer.
Abreo, N., Blatchley, D., & Superio, M. (2019). Stranded whale shark (Rhincodon typus) reveals vulnerability of filter-feeding elasmobranchs to marine litter in the Philippines. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 141, 79–83. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2019.02.030.
Abreo, N., Macusi, E., Blatchley, D., & Cuenca, G. (2016). Ingestion of marine plastic debris by green turtle (Chelonia mydas) in Davao Gulf, Mindanao, Philippines. Philippine Journal of Science, 145(1), 17–23.
Aruta, J. J. B. (2016). Understanding the structure of autonomy among Filipino adolescents. Educational Measurement and Evaluation Research, 7, 37–49.
Aruta, J. J. B. R. (2020). Connectedness to nature encourages, but materialism hinders, ecological behavior in the Philippines: The higher order and second-order factors of environmental attitudes as viable mediating pathways. Ecopsychology. https://doi.org/10.1089/eco.2020.0053.
Aruta, J. J. B. R. (2021). Socio-ecological determinants of distress in Filipino adults during COVID-19 crisis. Current Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-020-01322-x.
Aruta, J. J. B. R., Antazo, B., Briones-Diato, A., Crisostomo, K., Canlas, N., & Penaranda, G. (2020). When does self-criticism lead to depression in collectivistic context. International Journal for the Advancement of Counselling, 43, 76–87. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10447-020-09418-6.
Aruta, J. J. B. R., Barretto, I. D. E., Shin, Y., & Jang, A. (2019). The experience of power in teacher–student relationships in collectivistic context. Psychological Studies, 64, 316–331. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12646-019-00523-0.
Bankoff, G. (2007). One island too many: Reappraising the extent of deforestation in the Philippines prior to 1946. Journal of Historical Geography, 33, 314–334. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhg.2006.06.021.
Bensel, T. (2008). Fuelwood, deforestation, and land degradation: 10 years of evidence from Cebu province, the Philippines. Land Degradation & Development, 19(6), 587–605. https://doi.org/10.1002/ldr.862.
Bernardo, A. B. I., Tan-Mansukhani, R., & Daganzo, M. A. (2018). Associations between materialism, gratitude, and well-being in children of overseas Filipino workers. Europe's Journal of Psychology, 14(3), 581–598. https://doi.org/10.5964/ejop.v14i3.1555.
Capaldi, C. A., Dopko, R. L., & Zelenski, J. M. (2014). The relationship between nature connectedness and happiness: A meta-analysis. Frontiers in Psychology, 5, 976. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2014 .00976.
Capaldi, C. A., Passmore, H., Ishii, R., Chistopolskaya, K. A., Vowinckel, J., Nikolaev, E. L., & Semikin, G. I. (2017). Engaging with natural beauty may be related to well-being because it connects people to nature: Evidence from three cultures. Ecopsychology, 9(4), 199–211. https://doi.org/10.1089/eco.2017.0008.
Cervinka, R., Roderer, K., & Hefler, E. (2011). Are nature lovers happy? On various indicators of well-being and connectedness with nature. Journal of Health Psychology, 17(3), 379–388. https://doi.org/10.1177/1359105311416873.
Chokkanathan, S. (2013). Religiosity and well-being of older adults in Chennai, India. Aging & Mental Health, 17(7), 880–887. https://doi.org/10.1080/13607863.2013.790924.
Cohen, A. B., Gruber, J., & Keltner, D. (2010). Comparing spiritual transformations and experiences of profound beauty. Psychology of Religion and Spirituality, 2, 127–135. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0019126.
Datu, J. A. D., & Mateo, N. J. (2015). Gratitude and life satisfaction among Filipino adolescents: The mediating role of meaning in life. International Journal for the Advancement of Counseling, 37(2), 198–206. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10447-015-9238-3.
Deckop, J. R., Jurckiewicz, C. L., & Giacalone, R. A. (2010). Effects of materialism on work-related personal well-being. Human Relations, 63(7), 1007–1030. https://doi.org/10.1177/0018726709353953.
Diener, E., & Seligman, M. E. P. (2004). Beyond money: Toward an economy of well-being. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 5(1), 1–31. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.0963-7214.2004.00501001.x.
Emmons, R. A. (2005). Striving for the sacred: Personal goals, life meaning, and religion. Journal of Social Issues, 61, 731–745.
Frankl, V. E. (1959/1984). Man’s search for meaning: An introduction to logotherapy. New York: Simon and Schuster Inc..
Garcia, K., Lasco, R., Ines, A., Lyon, B., & Pulhin, F. (2013). Predicting geographic distribution and habitat suitability due to climate change of selected threatened forest tree species in the Philippines. Applied Geography, 44, 12–22. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apgeog.2013.07.005.
Go, K., Anticamara, J., de Ramos, J., Gabona, S., Agao, D., Hererra, E., & Bitara, A. (2015). Species richness and abundance of non-cryptic fish species in the Philippines: A global center of reef fish diversity. Biodiversity and Conservation, 24(10), 2475–2495. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-015-0938-0.
Graham, C., & Chattopadhyay, S. (2013). Gender and well-being around the world. International Journal of Happiness and Development, 1(2), 212–232.
Grouden, M. E., & Jose, P. E. (2015). Do sources of meaning differentially predict search for meaning, presence of meaning, and wellbeing? International Journal of Wellbeing, 5(1), 33–52. https://doi.org/10.5502/ijw.v5i1.3.
Gultiano, S., & Xenos, P. (2004). Age-structure and urban migration of youth in the Philippines. In Paper presented at the CICRED seminar age-structured transitions: Demographic bonuses, but emerging challenges for population and sustainable development, 23–26. February, Paris: France.
Harrison, D. A., McLaughlin, M. E., & Coalter, T. M. (1996). Context, cognition, and common method variance: Psychometric and verbal protocol evidence. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 68(3), 246–261. https://doi.org/10.1006/obhd.1996.0103.
Hayes, A. F. (2013). Introduction to mediation, moderation, and conditional process analysis: A regression-based approach. New York, NY: The Guilford Press.
Heintzelman, S. J., Trent, J., & King, L. A. (2013). Encounters with objective coherence and the experience of meaning in life. Psychological Science, 24(6), 991–998. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797612465878.
Herzog, T. R., & Strevey, S. J. (2008). Contact with nature, sense of humor, and psychological well-being. Environment and Behavior, 40, 747–776. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013916507308524.
Horley, J., & Lavery, J. J. (1995). Subjective well-being and age. Social Indicators Research, 34, 275–282. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01079200.
Howell, A. J., Passmore, H., & Buro, K. (2012). Meaning in nature: Meaning in life as a mediator of the relationship between nature connectedness and well-being. Journal of Happiness Studies, 14(6), 1681–1696. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-012-9403-x.
Kashdan, T. B., & Breen, W. E. (2007). Materialism and diminished well-being: Experiential avoidance as a mediating mechanism. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 26(5), 521–539. https://doi.org/10.1521/jscp.2007.26.5.521.
Kellert, S. R., & Wilson, E. O. (Eds.). (1993). The Biophilia hypothesis. Washington, DC: Island Press.
King, L. A., Hicks, J. A., Krull, J., & Del Gaiso, A. K. (2006). Positive affect and the experience of meaning in life. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 90, 179–196. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.90.1.179.
Leondari, A., & Gialamas, V. (2009). Religiosity and psychological well-being. International Journal of Psychology, 44(4), 241–248. https://doi.org/10.1080/00207590701700529.
Lindell, M. K., & Whitney, D. J. (2001). Accounting for common method variance in cross-sectional research designs. Journal of Applied Psychology, 86(1), 114–121. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.86.1.114.
Lumber, R., Richardson, M., & Sheffield, D. (2017). Beyond knowing nature: Contact, emotion, compassion, meaning, and beauty are pathways to nature connection. PLoS ONE, 12(5), e0177186. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0177186.
Lykken, D. T., & Tellegen, A. (1996). Happiness is a stochastic phenomenon. Psychological Science, 7, 186–189. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9280.1996.tb00355.x.
Malaque III, I. R., & Yokohari, M. (2007). Urbanization process and the changing agricultural landscape pattern in the urban fringe of metro Manila, Philippines. Environment & Urbanization, 19(1), 191–206. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956247807076782.
Maohong, B. (2012). Deforestation in the Philippines, 1946–1995. Philippine Studies: Historical and Ethnographic Viewpoints, 60(1), 117–130. https://doi.org/10.1353/phs.2012.0011.
Mayer, F. S., & Frantz, C. M. (2004). The connectedness to nature scale: A measure of individuals’ feeling in community with nature. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 24(4), 503–515. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2004.10.001.
Mayer, F. S., Frantz, C. M., Bruehlman-Senecal, E., & Dolliver, K. (2009). Why is nature beneficial? The role of connectedness to nature. Environment and Behavior, 41(5), 607–643. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013916508319745.
Mildenstein, T., Stier, S., Nuevo-Diego, C., & Mills, L. (2005). Habitat selection of endangered and endemic large flying-foxes in Subic Bay, Philippines. Biological Conservation, 126(1), 93–102. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2005.05.001.
Muñiz-Velázquez, J. A., Gomez-Baya, D., & Lopez-Casquete, M. (2017). Implicit and explicit assessment of materialism: Associations with happiness and depression. Personality and Individual Differences, 116, 123–132. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2017.04.033.
Myers, N., Mittermeier, R. A., Mittermeier, C. G., da Fonseca, G. A. B., & Kent, J. (2000). Biodiversity hotspots for conservation priorities. Nature, 403, 853–858. https://doi.org/10.1038/35002501.
Navarro, O., Olivos, P., & Fleury-Bahi, G. (2017). “Connectedness to nature scale”: Validity and reliability in the French context. Frontiers in Psychology, 8, 2180. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.02180.
Nisbet, E. K., Zelenski, J. M., & Murphy, S. A. (2011). Happiness is in our nature: Exploring nature relatedness as a contributor to subjective well-being. Journal of Happiness Studies, 12, 303–322. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-010-9197-7.
Norris, J.I., Lambert, N.M., DeWall, C.N., & Fincham, F.D. (2012). Can’t buy me love?: Anxious attachment and materialistic values. Personality and Individual Differences, Anxious attachment and materialistic values. Personality and Individual Differences, 53(5), 666–669. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2012.05.009.
O’Connor, K., & Chamberlain, K. (1996). Dimensions of life meaning: A qualitative investigation at mid-life. British Journal of Psychology, 87, 461–477. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.2044-8295.1996.tb02602.x.
Passmore, H., & Howell, A. J. (2014). Eco-existential positive psychology: Experiences in nature, existential anxieties, and well-being. The Humanistic Psychologist, 42, 370–388. https://doi.org/10.1080/08873267.2014.920335.
Podsakoff, P. M., MacKenzie, S. B., Lee, J. Y., & Podsakoff, N. P. (2003). Common method biases in behavioral research: A critical review of the literature and recommended remedies. Journal of Applied Psychology, 88(5), 879–903. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.88.5.879.
Rasoolimanesh, S. M., Badarulzaman, N., & Jaafar, M. (2012). City development strategies (CDS) and sustainable urbanization in developing world. Procedia - Social and (CDS) and sustainable urbanization in developing world. Procedia - Social and. Behavioral Sciences, 36, 623–631. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2012.03.068.
Reker, G. T., & Woo, L. C. (2011). Personal meaning orientations and psychosocial adaptation in older adults. SAGE Open, 1(1), 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244011405217.
Richins, M. L. (2004). The materialistic values scale: Measurement properties and development of a short form. Journal of Consumer Research, 31(1), 209–219. https://doi.org/10.1086/383436.
Richins, M. L., & Dawson, S. (1992). A consumer values orientation for materialism and its measurement: Scale development and validation. Journal of Consumer Research, 19, 303–316. https://doi.org/10.1086/209304.
Ritchie, R. & Roser, M. (2020). Mental Health. Published online at OurWorldInData.org. Retrieved from: 'https://ourworldindata.org/mental-health.
Robinson, O. C., Lopez, F. G., Ramos, K., & Nartova-Bochaver, S. (2013). Authenticity, social context, and well-being in the United States, England, and Russia: A three country comparative analysis. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 44(4), 719–737. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022022112465672.
Roxas, M. M., David, A. P., & Aruta, J. J. B. R. (2019). Compassion, forgiveness and subjective well-being among Filipino counselling professionals. International Journal for the Advancement of Counselling, 41(2), 272–283. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10447-019-09374-w.
Soysa, C. K., & Wilcomb, C. J. (2013). Mindfulness, self-compassion, self-efficacy, and gender as predictors of depression, anxiety, stress, and well-being. Mindfulness, 6, 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-013-0247-1.
Srivastava, K. (2009). Urbanization and mental health. Industrial Psychiatry Journal, 18(2), 75–76. https://doi.org/10.4103/0972-6748.64028.
Steger, M. F., Frazer, P., Oishi, S., & Kaler, M. (2006). The meaning in life questionnaire: Assessing the presence of and search for meaning in life. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 53, 80–93. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0167.53.1.80.
Steger, M. F., & Frazier, P. (2005). Meaning in life: One link in the chain from religiousness to well-being. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 52, 574–582. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0167.52.4.574.
Stone, A. A., Schwartz, J. E., Broderick, J. E., & Deaton, A. (2010). A snapshot of the age distribution of psychological well-being in the United States. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 107, 9985–9990. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1003744107.
Suarez, R. K., & Sajise, P. E. (2010). Deforestation, swidden agriculture and Philippine biodiversity. Philippine Science Letters, 3(1), 91–99.
Tang, S., Xiao, R., & Zhang, R. (2019). Materialistic values and depression in medical students: The mediating effect of meaning in life. Journal of Southern Medical University, 39(4), 495–499.
Tennant, R., Hiller, L., Fishwick, R., Platt, S....Stewart-Brown, S. (2007). The Warwick–Edinburgh mental well-being scale (WEMWBS): Development and UK validation. Health and Quality of Life Outcomes, 5(63). https://doi.org/10.1186/1477-7525-5-63.
Trigwell, J. L., Francis, A., & Bagot, K. L. (2014). Nature connectedness and eudaimonic well-being: Spirituality as a potential moderator. Ecopsychology, 6(4), 241–251. https://doi.org/10.1089/eco.2014.0025.
United Nations (2018). United nations environment report. Retrieved from: https://www.unenvironment.org/interactive/beat-plastic-pollution/
Wilson, E. O. (1984). Biophilia. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.
Wong, P. T. P. (1998). Implicit theories of meaningful life and the development of the personal meaning profile. In P. T. P. Wong & P. S. Fry (Eds.), The human quest for meaning: A handbook of psychological research and clinical applications (pp. 111–140). Mahweh, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Wong, P. T. P. (2010). What is existential positive psychology? International Journal of Existential Psychology and Psychotherapy, 3, 1–10.
Zhang, H., Chen, K., Chen, C., & Schlegel, R. (2018). Personal aspirations, person-environment fit, meaning in work, and meaning in life: A moderated mediation model. Journal of Happiness Studies, 20, 1481–1497. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-018-0005-0.
Zhao, H., Zhang, H., Xu, Y., He, W., & Lu. J. (2019). Why are people high in dispositional awe happier? The roles of meaning in life and materialism. Frontiers in Psychology, 10, https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01208.
Acknowledgments
The author would like to thank Ms. Judith Paceño for proofreading the final version of the paper, and the anonymous reviewers for their valuable feedback on the manuscript.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Ethical Approval
All procedures performed in the study were in accordance with the ethical standards of the 1964 Helsinki declaration or comparable ethical standards.
Conflict of Interest
The author/s claimed no conflict of interest in the present study.
Additional information
Publisher’s Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Aruta, J.J.B.R. The quest to mental well-being: Nature connectedness, materialism and the mediating role of meaning in life in the Philippine context. Curr Psychol 42, 1058–1069 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-021-01523-y
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-021-01523-y