社会与工程心理学研究室知识库

人们一直追求返璞归真的状态。本真性是个体觉察并践行内在情感、动机、态度和价值观等的程度和体验，具有状态和特质两种特性。本真性可以促使个体做出道德决策和行为，有益于个体的心理健康，并能提升个体在组织中的绩效和满意度。虽然现有研究已经初步揭示了本真性的含义、操作、测量、特点、适应价值、影响因素等，但是，如何促进本真性仍不甚明晰。

本研究提出，自然或亲近自然有助于增强本真性。根据自我决定理论和以往研究结果，自然环境有利于个体按照内在价值观和需要进行自主决策和行动，能够满足个体的基本心理需要，这些都是自我本真性的重要前因变量。因此，本研究还将考察心理需要满足对自然预测和促进本真性的中介作用。此外，本研究还将探究自然促进本真性的心理后效。

本研究开展了十一项系列研究探究自然与本真性的相关和因果关系，并考察基本心理需要满足的中介作用，以及自然促进本真性的心理后效。研究一和二通过相关研究和现场准实验发现，与自然的心理联结和物理联结都和更高的本真性显著相关。

研究三至五为实验室研究，通过让被试观看自然图片、回忆自然经历、制作自然画等方法操纵自然体验，结果一致地发现这些自然操纵方法(VS.对照条件)均能显著提升被试的状态本真性。

研究六至九进一步探究了自然预测和促进本真性的心理机制。研究六通过横断调查发现，基本心理需要满足(自主和关系)是自然联结感和特质本真性之间的中介变量。研究七至九则通过实验室实验和现场实验发现，观看自然视频}VS.城市视频;研究七和九)和置身城市公园(VS.购物广场;研究八)均能通过满足个体的自主需要而提升状态本真性。研究九还采用了西方样本，增强了研究结果的跨文化适用性。

研究十和十一进一步探究了自然促进本真性的心理后效。不论是短时间观看自然视频(VS.城市视频;研究十)，还是长时间养育绿植(VS.记录日常;研究十一)，都可以显著增强个体的本真性和心理幸福感，并且本真性能够中介解释自然对心理幸福感的增强效应。

总之，一系列研究发现，与自然的心理和物理联结均能显著预测和促进本真性。在特质层面，自主和关系心理需要满足都是自然联结感和本真性之间关系的中介变量;在状态层面，自然通过满足个体的自主心理需要而增强本真性。并且，自然对本真性的增强效应还可以解释为何亲近自然能够提升心理幸福感。

本研究的理论意义在于:拓展了本真性的研究领域，首次提出并证实自然有助于提高个体的本真性;揭示了自然促进本真性的心理机制，有助于学界深入理解自然和本真性的关系;考察了自然积极心理效应的可能机制，即:通过增强本真性而提高幸福感。

本研究的实践价值在于:为增强本真性提供一种新的策略(亲近自然)，为现代人“返璞归真”、“找寻真我”提供指导;为心理健康实践者提供一种新的思路，融自然元素于心理健康干预实践。

People have always pursued a return to their true nature. Authenticity refers to the degree and feeling of individuals' awareness and practice of their inner emotions, motivations, attitudes, values, which have both state and trait characteristics. Being authentic can: 1) motivate individuals to make moral decisions and behaviors; 2) be beneficial for individuals' mental health; 3) enhance employees' work performance and satisfaction. Much research has provided preliminary insights into conceptualization, operationalization, measurement, features and adaptive implications. How to nurture authenticity, however, is still in question.

This study proposes that nature or nature contact is helpful in boosting authenticity. Based on self-determination theory and previous research results, both contacting with nature physically and psychologically can facilitate individuals' autonomous decision-making and action based on internal values and needs, meeting their basic psychological needs, all of which are important antecedents of authenticity. Therefore, this study will also test the mediating role of psychological need satisfaction in predicting and promoting authenticity through nature. In addition, this study will also study the psychological after-effects of nature-promoting authenticity.

Eleven studies have been conducted to test the correlational and causal link between nature and authenticity, the mediating role of basic psychological need satisfaction, and the psychological after-effects of nature-promoting authenticity. Studies 1 and 2 explored the correlational relationship between nature and authenticity, by conducting a cross-sectional investigation and a field quasi-experiment, respectively. The findings showed that both psychological nature contact(nature connectedness; Study 1) and physical nature contact(nurturing indoor plants, Study 1;being in a park, Study 2) were significantly related with higher authenticity.

Studies 3一5 tested causal effect of nature on authenticity, through three different nature manipulations(i.e., having participants watching nature pictures, recalling experiences in nature, making a nature poster). Consistently, all the three nature manipulations(vs. control ones) induced higher state authenticity.

Studies 6-9 further investigated the psychological mechanism(i.e., basic psychological need satisfaction) of the relationship between nature and authenticity. In Study 6, basic psychological needs(i.e., autonomy and relatedness) satisfaction were found to be significant mediators of the relationship between nature connectedness and trait authenticity. In Studies 7一9, participants who watched nature video(Studies 7&9) and being in a park(Study 8) reported higher satisfaction of need for autonomy and state authenticity than heir counterparts who watched urban video or being in a plaza. Furthermore, satisfaction of autonomy need mediated nature's enhancing effect on state authenticity. What's more, Study 9 adopted a Western sample, enhancing the cross-cultural applicability of the findings.

Last but not least, Studies 10 and 11 explored the psychological after-effects of nature-promoting authenticity. The findings showed that both short-term(watching nature vs. urban video; Study 10) and long-term(nurturing indoor plants vs. keeping a diary; Study 11) nature contact can enhance authenticity and psychological well-being serially.

Taken together, a series of studies have found that both psychological and physical nature contacts can significantly predict and promote authenticity. At the trait level, satisfaction of need for autonomy and relatedness serves as a mediator between nature connectedness and authenticity at trait level. At the state level, nature enhances authenticity by fulfilling individuals' psychological needs for autonomy. Furthermore, the enhancing effect of nature on authenticity can also explain why nature can increase psychological well-being.

The theoretical significance of this study lies in: 1) expanding the research field of authenticity, proposing and confirming for the first time that nature can enhance authenticity and well-being; 2) revealing the psychological mechanism through which nature promotes authenticity; 3) helping the academic community to better understand the mechanism of nature's effect on psychological well-being.

From a practical perspective, this study: 1) provides modern people with a new approach to pursue authenticity, i.e., engaging with nature; 2) provides a new approach for mental health practitioners to incorporate natural elements into their interventions.