Passmore and Krauss on the Role of Nature in Meaning-Making

Today's post is once again from my independent study work, primarily summarizing some of the key points in a journal article I found really valuable. Passmore and Krauss on the Role of Nature in Meaning-Making © 2025 by Kimberly Israel is licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0

Although spiritual paths such as modern druidry emphasize connection with nature, the role of nature in meaning-making is certainly not unique to druids. In a review article, Passmore and Krauss (2023) discuss the research on nature as a source of meaning for people in general. They focus on a tripartite model of meaning, which breaks the concept into coherence, purpose, and significance. They also refer to work on experiential appreciation as an additional potential component of meaning.

 People can find a sense of coherence in the patterns and cycles of nature, positioning their own life and its changes in a broader context. In her book on secular meaning-making, Sasha Sagan (2019), notes that people around the world celebrate astronomy and biology: phases of the moon; solstices and equinoxes; changes in seasons; planting and harvest; birth, growth, and death. Attending to the change and repetition in nature can provide a larger perspective on life and increase a feeling that the universe makes sense (Passmore & Krauss, 2023).

 

Nature can be a source of inspiration, increasing one’s feeling of purpose. Passmore and Krauss note that research suggests that time in nature enhances self-reflection, which is necessary for developing a conscious sense of purpose. Furthermore, many people find purpose in activities that engage or benefit nature, from gardening to environmental activism. These activities provide channels for the individual to invest effort in something larger than themselves.  Purposeful action can enhance a person’s sense of significance by allowing them to see that they make a difference.

 

The experiences of connection and embodiment in nature also increase the feeling of significance. Passmore and Krauss refer to studies showing a correlation between green space and social cohesion, as well as evidence that exposure to awe-inspiring aspects of nature increases the feeling of social connectedness. Furthermore, even attention to components nature encountered in daily life increases the sense of “transcendent connectedness.” The awareness of being part of something, whether a social group or the universe as a whole, seems to increase the sense of significance. This insight seems to run counter, however, to the common descriptions of feeling small or unimportant relative to the ocean or the galaxy, and further research may be needed to unpack this apparent paradox.

 

Passmore and Krauss note that some research suggests experiential appreciation as a fourth component of meaning. Experiential appreciation involves a strong sense of valuing and being absorbed in the present moment. The authors mention several theories that suggest biological underpinnings for experiential appreciation in relation to nature. The Biophilia Hypothesis, developed by E.O. Wilson in the 1980s, suggests that human beings evolved to form emotional connections with nonhuman nature (Gaekwad et al., 2022). 

The Attention Restoration Theory, meanwhile, proposes that natural environments provide restoration from “directed attention fatigue” by gently engaging attention without requiring effort from the viewer and allowing space for the mind to wander (Kaplan, 1995). The research of Joye et al. (2016) supports the idea that the fractal quality (i.e. scale-invariant self-similarity) of natural objects means they take less cognitive effort to visually process, such that people display greater “perceptual fluency” in natural environments.

Image credit: Hubert Stoffels

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References

 

Gaekwad, J.S., Moslehian, A.S., Roös, P.B., & Walker, A. (2022). A meta-analysis of emotional evidence for the Biophilia Hypothesis and implications for biophilic design. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 750245.

 

Joye, Y., Steg, L., Unal, A.B., & Pals, R. (2016). When complex is easy on the mind: internal representation of visual information in complex objects is a source of perceptual fluency. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 42(1), 103-114.

 

Kaplan, S. (1995). The restorative benefits of nature: toward an integrative framework. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 15, 169-182.

 

Passmore, H.-A., & Krause, A.N. (2023). The beyond-human natural world: providing meaning and making meaning. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 20, 6170.

Sagan, S. (2019). For small creatures such as we. Putnam Adult (Hc).