Across the world and through time, people have felt a spiritual connection with nature. This connection comes in many flavours—from feeling at one with nature to seeing nature as God's creation. These beliefs matter because they shape the way we make important decisions about how nature is treated.
Where do these beliefs come from? Why are they so prevalent? And what role do they play in a world marked by rapid cultural and ecological changes? Questions like these speak to the basic questions of how we culturally construct the natural world and the wide-ranging consequences of that process.
Review of current research on ecospirituality and its link to environmental preservation and human well-being.
Billet, M. I., Baimel, A., Schaller, M., & Norenzayan, A. (2025) Ecospirituality. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 0(0). https://doi.org/10.1177/09637214241304326
Ecospirituality is associated with multiple indicators of well-being.
Billet, M. I., McPherson, A. R., Norenzayan, A., & Schaller, M. (2025). Seeing nature through a spiritual lens: The effects of a novel photo-taking task on environmental concern and well-being. Collabra: Psychology, 11(1). https://doi.org/10.1525/collabra.128463
People from diverse religious backgrounds who have a spiritual connection with nature feel more grateful to nature.
White, C. J. M., & Billet, M. I. (2024). The roles of anthropomorphism, spirituality, and gratitude in pro-environmental attitudes. Religion, Brain & Behavior, 1–19. https://doi.org/10.1080/2153599X.2024.2363759
Ecospiritual people moralize nature and make principled decisions about environmental issues.
Billet, M. I., Baimel, A., Sahakari, S. S., Schaller, M., & Norenzayan, A. (2023). Ecospirituality: The psychology of moral concern for nature. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 87, 102001. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2023.102001
Political polarization is one of the greatest barriers to addressing environmental issues. Poll after poll show political differences in attitudes towards climate change and environmental policy. These polls suggest that political discourse can be made better than it currently is. This requires identifying the common ground on which liberals and conservatives see eye-to-eye.
I've asked over a thousand liberals and conservatives to explain why nature is worth preserving, in their own words. The amount of common ground they shared was astonishing. How can we use these insights to work towards mutual goals?
Liberals and conservatives share political common ground on why nature is worth preserving.
Billet, M. I., Baimel, A., Milfont, T. L., & Norenzayan, A. (2024). Political common ground on preserving nature: Environmental motives across the political spectrum. Environment & Behavior, 56(7-8), 542-576. https://doi.org/10.1177/00139165241303315