Awe and the Relationship between Connection to Nature and Sense of Meaning in Life

The purpose of this study was to examine the emotion of awe as a moderator in the relationship between connection to nature and sense of meaning in life. Previous research found a significant positive correlation between these two variables, so this study aimed to understand potential mechanisms involved in this relationship. A review of the current literature revealed that awe had been investigated in relation to connection to nature, but awe had not been explored in relation to connection to nature and sense of meaning in life. This study used a quantitative method to explore awe as a moderator variable to investigate these relationships.;Participants were asked to complete a demographic questionnaire in addition to the Nature Relatedness Scale, Dispositional Positive Emotions Scale, and Meaning in Life Questionnaire. The survey was completed online by 527 adults aged 19 to 89. This study replicated the finding that a significant, positive relationship exists between connection to nature and sense of meaning in life. Although the emotion of awe was not found to be moderator variable, it did mediate the relationship between connection to nature and life meaning. The connection to nature no longer predicted meaning in life once awe was introduced as a variable. This points to the importance of the cultivation of awe in relation to the enhancement of one's meaning in life. This study replicated previous findings that a significant positive correlation exists between connection to nature and sense of meaning in life and that one's search for meaning in life is inversely related to age. It also found that women report a higher degree of connection to nature, search for meaning in life, and disposition towards the emotion of awe and individuals reporting a post-graduate education have higher presence of life meaning than those with a college degree. The current research discusses the therapeutic value of awe as an emotion that might facilitate greater wellbeing and buffer against negative health effects.