Ecopsychology: The Relationship Between Green Space and General Well-being

Abstract

The use of green space has gained favourable attention within psychology academia for influencing general well-being in a positive manner. However, due to the rapid implementation of urbanisation across various sectors, the relationship between humans and nature is under threat. Thus, the expansion of urbanisation impedes the potentially beneficial elements of green space for general well-being. A correlative analysis was conducted to examine the relationship between green space and general well-being. Data was collected using two 5-point Likert scales, the 14-item Connectedness to Nature Scale (CNS) and the 14-item Scales of General Well-being (SGWB), which was statistically analysed. Based on 20 samples, a weak, positive correlation (r = 0.3) was found. This indicated that green space tends to influence general well-being in a positive direction. However, based on the high SGWB scores, it is plausible that the participants’ general well-being may be correlated with other variables. The contribution of this research added the existing body of knowledge in the developing field of ecopsychology, thus promoting discussions in mainstream psychology.