Feeling Lonely? Connecting With Nature Can Help University Students Find Peace, Meaning, IIM Indore Study Finds
Indore (Madhya Pradesh): Nature could be more than a welcome escape from crowded cities and digital screens; it may also help young people feel less lonely, particularly students living away from their families, a study by IIM Indore has found. Published in the journal Cities, the study, titled Impact of Nature Connectedness on Loneliness Among University Students Living Away From Home: The…
A recent study by IIM Indore suggests that engaging with nature can help alleviate loneliness among university students living away from home. The research, published in the journal Cities, explored the relationship between emotional and psychological connections with nature and loneliness among 257 Indian urban university students aged 19-26.
The findings indicate that students who felt more closely connected to the natural world reported lower levels of loneliness. The study identified meaningfulness, peace of mind, and psychological resilience as the key psychological pathways through which nature connectedness reduced loneliness, with meaningfulness and peace of mind being the most significant mediators.
These results imply that simply having nearby green spaces is not enough; rather, students need to develop a deeper psychological connection with nature. The study's implications extend to universities and urban planners, who are encouraged to incorporate more nature-based activities and improve access to green spaces to support student well-being.
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