Mindfulness, perceived restorativeness and reported restoration at the Botanical garden among adults and children: which pathways to restoration?

Environmental psychologists agree that Nature contact leads to numerous psychological benefits. In particular, based on the Attention Restoration Theory (ART), natural environments are rich in intrinsic characteristics that allow restoration. However, approximately half of the global population live in cities and it is calculated that by 2030 the 60% of people will live in urban areas worldwide, characterised by few green spaces. How can this huge number of people be guaranteed the benefits of Nature contact? Botanical gardens are examples of urban Nature that could be taken advantage of in order to experience psychological restoration from daily demands and hence stimulate the “Biophilia”, literally “love of life” (the hypothetical innate tendency to bond and affiliate with the natural world, defined as well as a complex of learning rules, genetically determined, that need to be appropriately stimulated in order to flourish). However, scarce scientific attention has been paid to the possible psychological benefits that Botanical gardens offer. ART states that, in order to experience restoration, a person needs to be engaged with the environment and perceive its several characteristics (multisensory perception). Overall, perception is influenced by personal characteristics (previous experiences, affect etc.). Of interest to the current study is the fact that mindful people tend to be aware of the “here and now”, therefore they might be more aware and better engaged with their sorroundings than non-mindful people. Mindfulness reflects increased awareness (and attention) to the present moment and in the place where the person is. Considering this, the present study aims to examine the possible relationship between trait mindfulness and people’s reported restoration after a Botanical garden visit. Specifically, we investigate the relation between trait mindfulness, dispositional affect and reported restoration, and whether such relation is mediated by perceived restorativeness, beauty of the place (aesthetics) and connectedness with Nature. It is expected that more mindful people perceive the restorative characteristics (perceived restorativeness) of a Botanical garden more vividly (as they are usually aware of their experience in the “here and now”) and hence effectively feel more restored (reported restoration) than less mindful people who, on the contrary and by considering the same pathway, would not feel the same restored after the visit (reported restoration). Data collection with both adults and children is ongoing at the Rome Botanical garden and results will be presented at the conference.