The influence of nature relatedness on decision making regarding 2

City University of New York (CUNY) CUNY Academic Works Publications and Research Guttman Community College 2014 The Influence of Nature Relatedness on Decision Making Regarding Mate Selection in College Educated Young Adults Nicole Kras CUNY Guttman Community College How does access to this work benefit you? Let us know! More information about this work at: https://academicworks.edu/nc_pubs/95 Discover additional works at: https://academicworks.edu This work is made publicly available by the City University of New York (CUNY). Contact: AcademicWorks@cuny.edu Lesley University DigitalCommons@Lesley Educational Studies Dissertations Graduate School of Education (GSOE) 2014 The Influence of Nature Relatedness on Decision Making Regarding Mate Selection in College- Educated Young Adults Nicole Lynn Kras Lesley University Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.edu/education_dissertations Part of the Higher Education Commons, and the Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons Recommended Citation Kras, Nicole Lynn, "The Influence of Nature Relatedness on Decision Making Regarding Mate Selection in College-Educated Young Adults" (2014). Educational Studies Dissertations.edu/education_dissertations/37 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School of Education (GSOE) at DigitalCommons@Lesley. It has been accepted for inclusion in Educational Studies Dissertations by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@Lesley.

For more information, please contact digitalcommons@lesley. THE INFLUENCE OF NATURE RELATEDNESS ON DECISION MAKING REGARDING MATE SELECTION IN COLLEGE-EDUCATED YOUNG ADULTS A DISSERTATION Submitted by Nicole Kras In partial fulfillment of the requirements For the degree of Doctor of Philosophy LESLEY UNIVERSITY September, 2014 Robin Roth, Ph.D (Chair) Terrence Keeney, Ph.D Jeffrey Perrin, Ph.D Hilda Speicher, Ph.D 2 Dedication This dissertation is dedicated to my mother. “If ever there is tomorrow when we're not together. there is something you must always remember.

You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think. But the most important thing is, even if we're apart. I'll always be with you. Milne 3 Acknowledgements There are many people who have supported me in my educational journey.

My husband Larry has been a constant source of support since the day we met. I would not be where I am today without him. He is truly my best friend. There has not been a day when my family has not been there for me.

My family’s constant belief in me and my education is what has motivated me to be where I am today. I would like to thank my mother who will always be my biggest fan. I could never thank her enough for everything she has done for me. Thank you to my dad for listening to all my dissertation ideas and always being willing to help me with whatever I need.

I love you! Jennifer, thank you for always reading drafts of my work and listening to my research ideas. Lauren, thank you for always making me laugh when I needed it most. You are both the best sisters anyone could ask for. For my grandparents, especially my grandfather, who was always a big supporter of my education.

I would like to thank my committee chair, Robin Roth, for her support and advice throughout my PhD program. It has been a challenging three years and I appreciate everything she has done. I would also like to thank my committee members Terrence Keeney and Jeffrey Perrin for all of their support throughout the program, especially while I was trying to narrow in on my dissertation question. I appreciate your patience and suggestions.

To my other committee member, Hilda Speicher, who has helped me in so many ways since I took her research methods course many years ago. Throughout the years you have always been more than willing to offer me advice, help me with my research, and guide me in my teaching. I appreciate it more than you will ever know! To my Lesley Professors, thank you for being so willing to share 4 knowledge with me and for helping me to grow as an academic. To my cohort members, I appreciate all of the support and guidance you have provided me over the last three years.

I wish all of you much success in the future! Nicole Kras July 1, 2014 5 Abstract Research to date has mainly focused on the influence of nature relatedness on a person’s subjective well-being (Nisbet, 2011) and as a predictor of happiness (Zelenski & Nisbet, 2014). There are few, if any, studies that look at the influence of nature relatedness on mate selection. The research question is Does nature relatedness influence mate selection in college-educated adults between the ages of 25 and 40? A secondary goal of this study is to begin to describe the role of the natural environment in the lives of college-educated young adults. Through a modified snowball sampling technique using electronic mail and social media, participants (n=266) completed an electronic questionnaire.

Participants’ levels of nature relatedness were measured using the Nature Relatedness Scale (NRS; Nisbet, Zelenski, & Murphy, 2009). They filled out researcher-created questions that inquired into the influence of nature relatedness on mate selection, frequency of outdoor activities with a romantic partner, important characteristics and attributes when looking for a mate, and demographic information. Results show nature relatedness is a factor that almost half (49%) of the participants look for in a romantic partner and more than half (63%) value in a romantic partner. More than a quarter (29%) of the participants selected “enjoys spending time outdoors” as one of the top five attributes they look for in a potential mate.

The results demonstrate a positive correlation between an individual’s level of nature relatedness, the degree to which nature relatedness plays a role in mate selection, and the frequency of engaging in outdoor activities with a romantic partner. Selected demographic variables such as gender, age group, geographical location, and geographical region show statistically significant differences on some of the NRS subscales. This study is important because it is one of the few, if any, studies examining the influence of nature relatedness on mate 6 selection in college-educated young adults and provides insight into the influence of the natural environment on this demographic group. 7 Table of Contents Acknowledgements 3 Abstract 5 Chapter 1.

Introduction 12 Background and Context 13 Research Purpose 15 Theoretical Framework 16 Research Approach 17 Researcher’s Assumptions 18 Study Limitations 18 Definition of Key Terms Used in This Study 19 Organization of the Dissertation 21 Chapter 2. Literature Review 23 Overview of Chapter 23 Nature Relatedness 23 Young Adulthood 28 Emerging adulthood 28 Emerging adulthood and romantic relationships 31 Young adulthood 31 Young adults and romantic relationships 32 Chapter Summary 35 Chapter 3. Research Methodology 37 Overview of Chapter 37 Researcher’s Perspective 37 Rationale for Research Approach 38 Pilot Test 39 Sampling Methods 40 Snowball sampling 40 Social media 40 Standardized written protocol 41 Informed consent 41 Incentive distribution 41 Follow-up 41 The Research Sample 42 Participants 42 Questionnaire 44 Ethical Considerations 46 Chapter Summary 47 8 Chapter 4. Research Findings 48 Demographic Differences in Nature Relatedness 49 Desired Attributes in a Potential Mate 60 Outdoor Activities Engaged in with a Romantic Partner 61 Open-ended Responses 62 Chapter Summary 64 Chapter 5.

Discussion, Conclusions, and Recommendations 66 The Influence of Nature Relatedness on Mate Selection 67 Degree of nature relatedness influences the importance of nature relatedness in mate selection 69 “Enjoys spending time outdoors” as a desired attribute in a potential mate 69 The Role of the Natural Environment in the Lives of Young Adults 72 Varying degrees of nature relatedness 72 Difference between males and females in NR-Experience 74 Difference between rural and urban residents in NR-Experience 74 Difference between northwest and southwest regions in NR-Perspective 75 Difference between older participants and younger participants in NR-Experience and NR-Self 75 Frequency of participation in outdoor activities with a romantic partner 77 Summary of findings 77 Study Limitations 80 Modified snowball sampling technique 80 Participant demographics 80 Electronic questionnaire 81 Recommendations for Future Research 82 Population demographics 82 Differences in nature relatedness 83 Influence of a college education 84 Application of findings 85 References 86 9 List of Tables Table 1. Means (M) and Standard Deviations (SD), and Alpha Levels (a) of Nature Relatedness Scale (NRS) Sub-scale Scores 49 Table 3. Correlation Matrices between Subscales of the NRS 50 Table 4. Means (M) and Standard Deviations (SD) for the Five Questions on Nature Relatedness (NR) on Mate Selection 58 Table 5.

Frequency (f) and Valid Percentages (%) of the Top Five Attributes Considered Important in a Mate 60 Table 6. Means (M) and Standard Deviations (SD) of Questions Regarding Frequency of Outdoor Activities with a Romantic Partner 62 10 List of Figures Figure 1: Mean NRS Subscale score by Gender 52 Figure 2: Mean NRS Subscale score by Age Group 53 Figure 3: Mean NRS Subscale score by Geographical Location 55 Figure 4: Mean NRS Subscale score by Relationship Status 56 Figure 5: Mean NRS Subscale score by Region 57 11 Appendices Appendix A: Standardized Written Protocol 101 Appendix B: Informed Consent 103 Appendix C: Questionnaire 105 12 Chapter 1 Introduction “Thousands of tired, nerve-shaken, over-civilized people are beginning to find out that going to the mountains is going home; that wilderness is a necessity; and that mountain parks and reservations are useful not only as fountains of timber and irrigating rivers, but as fountains of life.” –John Muir Humankind’s relationship with the natural environment is essential for survival of the species. The term “nature relatedness” describes the cognitive, affective, and experiential aspects of this relationship that each human being has with nature (Nisbet, Zelenski, & Murphy, 2009). The physical, mental, emotional, and cognitive benefits of this humanity-nature relationship are the focus of several studies (Berman, Jonides, & Kaplan, 2008; Grill, 2003; Ottosson & Grahn, 2005; Ryan et al.

The current study differs from these previous studies in that it seeks to explore how this humanity-nature relationship may influence the life decisions of adults. This study investigates nature relatedness as a potential factor that influences decision making regarding mate selection in college-educated young adults. The hypothesis of this study is that nature relatedness does influence mate selection in young adulthood (between the ages of 25 and 40). The primary goal of this study is to investigate this relationship.

A secondary goal of this study is to begin to describe the role of the natural environment in the lives of college-educated young adults. 13 Background and Context As concern over the future of the planet continues to increase for many individuals, gaining a deeper understanding of the humanity-nature relationship may be key to promoting conservation efforts (Black, 2006) and overall well-being (Howell, Dopko, Passmore, & Buro, 2011; Lambin, 2009; Nisbet, Zelenski, & Murphy, 2011). In today’s society, several educational institutions, grass-roots citizens’ groups, and community organizations, are directing their efforts to focus on environmental policies and practices. Schools and universities are beginning to focus on the growing concern over the state of the environment and are expanding environmental education curricula and promoting environmentally focused student organizations (Petersen, 2008; Silvia, 2008).

Writers are focusing on the benefits that the natural environment has on overall well-being (Howell et al., 2011; Nisbet et al. Experts have identified the benefits of spending time in nature during childhood (Cleaver, 2007; Louv, 2008), adolescence (Berto, 2007), young and middle adulthood (Davis & Atkins, 2004; Grill, 2003; Zinn & Graefe, 2007), and in older adulthood (Carman, 2011; Talbot & Kaplan, 1991). While the humanity-nature connection is becoming an important area of study (Mayer, Frantz, Bruehlman-Seneca, & Dolliver, 2009; Roszak, Gomes, & Kanner, 1995), there is a shortage of literature on how one’s relationship with the natural environment influences the personal life decisions of adults. Life decisions may include what type of career to pursue, where to live, how leisure time is spent, and with whom to socialize.

The selection of a mate, the focus of this study, is one of the most important life decisions that adults make (Hamon & Ingoldsby, 2003). There are several commonly identified characteristics that people look for in potential mates.