Adolescents’ experiences in nature: Sources of everyday well-being

Abstract

Recently, adolescents’ decreasing contact with nature has raised concerns in many urbanized societies. In this study, we analyze Finnish adolescents’ leisure time experiences in natural environments. The material consists of 39 thematic writings written by 15–16-year-old adolescents living in the city of Lahti, Finland. The analysis of the written accounts was informed by hermeneutic phenomenology. While visiting nature was a spontaneous everyday activity for young participants, it meant a possibility to escape daily life filled with routines, demands, and social norms. Nature was experienced as multisensory via sight, hearing, touch, smell, and taste. Natural environments enabled not only shared experiences with friends and family but also positive experiences in solitude. The experiences were typically described by their psychological well-being benefits, especially increasing calmness, and improving mood or positive feelings. The findings highlight the importance of acknowledging the role of nature in adolescents’ leisure time experiences.

Keywords:

• Adolescents
• nature experience
• well-being
• outdoor recreation
• leisure

Introduction

As a result of the changes in living environments and habits in urbanized societies, young people’s contact with nature have become rarer than before (Soga & Gaston, 2016). Young people are living increasingly urban, sedentary, and technologically centered lives, which is illustrated by their leisure behavior. The time young people spend with electronic screens has been shown to displace time that they spend participating in outdoor activities (Michaelson et al., 2020). International research (Inchley et al., 2020) has indicated that most young people do not reach the recommendations for daily physical activity. Meanwhile, the benefits of contact with nature on adults’, adolescents’, and children’s well-being and health have been increasingly recognized (e.g., Keniger et al., 2013; Mygind et al., 2019). Experiences in nature are also positively associated with stronger pro-environmentalism (Rosa & Collado, 2019).

Due to profound developmental changes, adolescence (from 10 to 19 years of age) may be a critical life phase in maintaining an involvement in a leisure activity to young adulthood (Lovelock et al., 2016; Raymore et al., 2001). While physical activities often decrease, unstructured social activities increase in adolescence when the importance of peer relationships as sources of support and companionship is highlighted (Brown & Larson, 2009). For natural environments, Kaplan and Kaplan (2002) have called the adolescence a “time out” during which young people may be more attracted to urban settings or other places where they can spend time with their peers and participate in activities that contain excitement and action. The preference for outdoor activities usually returns when adolescents grow into adults (Kaplan & Kaplan, 2002). Previous studies have indicated the importance of childhood experiences; people who engaged in nature-based activities as children are more probable to participate in those activities as adults (Lovelock et al., 2016; Taye et al., 2019).

In Finland and other Nordic countries, cities are generally embedded in natural settings, rural second homes are widespread, and outdoor activities are common (e.g., Fagerholm et al., 2021). Compared internationally, Finnish children are still very independent, although independent mobility has significantly decreased (Kyttä et al., 2015). Research has shown that over 70% of 15-year-old Finns spend more than 2 h in front of the screen at least 5 days a week (Kokko et al., 2019). While nature is important for most adolescents, a small group seems to be not interested in nature at all (Hakoköngäs & Puhakka, 2021; Kaipainen, 2021; Rantala & Puhakka, 2020). However, there is still a limited recognition of adolescents’ nature-based recreation and its benefits in Finland (e.g., Kokko et al., 2019; Salasuo, 2021; THL, 2021). Internationally, there is a lack of research on young people’s perceptions of the well-being effects of urban nature (Birch et al., 2020). There is also a call for research to better understand human–environment relations in times of environmental change and decreasing nature connection (Stefanovic et al., 2016).

While the negative impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on young people’s well-being have been reported in many countries, including Finland (e.g., Cowie & Myers, 2021; THL, 2021), the importance of outdoor activities for mental health has been recognized (Fagerholm et al., 2021; Quarta et al., 2022). For example, Jackson et al. (2021) concluded that outdoor activities can be important to promote adolescents’ resiliency during times of crisis. In Finland and many other countries, participation in outdoor recreation increased when people went outdoors to safely interact with others (e.g., Fagerholm et al., 2021; Ferguson et al., 2022; Haanpää & Laasonen, 2020).

In the present study, we examine adolescents’ leisure time experiences in natural environments. We pay attention to youth’s outdoor activities, leisure time environments, and experiences of well-being in nature. In general, the concept of well-being consists of two main components: feeling good and functioning well (Muirhead, 2011). We approach well-being inductively, based on adolescents’ own descriptions of the effects of nature. The study is based on a qualitative phenomenological analysis of thematic writings (N = 39) produced by 15–16-year-old participants in the city of Lahti, Finland, in spring 2020. Coincidentally, the study was undertaken during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, it was not a primary goal of the study to assess the impact of the pandemic on participants’ well-being and their experiences in nature. Recognizing the role of nature in leisure time experiences may help in developing practical solutions to support adolescents’ engagement with nature and attainment of well-being benefits in the future.

Well-being effects of nature

Recent research has revealed that experiences in nature promote psychological and cognitive, physiological, social, and spiritual well-being and health (e.g., Keniger et al., 2013; Mygind et al., 2019). Direct benefits are caused by the opportunity to interact with nature, while indirect benefits may occur when natural settings offer a venue and motivation to be physically active (Shanahan et al., 2016). Despite the benefits, some young people may also experience natural environments as uncomfortable, distressing, or threatening (Milligan & Bingley, 2007).

In terms of psychological well-being, previous studies have indicated that experiences in nature increase self-esteem, positive mood, and happiness and decrease negative feelings, such as anxiety and anger (Barton & Pretty, 2010; Bratman et al., 2015; McMahan & Estes, 2015). Among adolescents, exposures to outdoor environments and connections to nature were associated with improved psychosomatic health (Piccininni et al., 2018), better moods (Li et al., 2018), and reduced stress (Feda et al., 2015). Zamora et al. (2021) observed that positive self-perceived impacts on adolescents’ mental health included a sense of calm and reduced anxiety, for example. Bowers et al. (2021) discovered that time in natural settings was associated with overall positive youth development and competence. According to Birch et al. (2020), urban young people experienced nature to offer a stronger sense of self or gain a wider perspective of oneself within the world (see Owens & McKinnon, 2009). Korpela (1992) described how adolescents use their favorite places (such as natural settings) as a means of regulating unpleasant and pleasant feelings, the coherence of self-experience, and self-esteem.

Attention restoration theory has been used to explain the benefits of nature on mental processes and cognitive ability or function (Kaplan & Kaplan, 1989). Irritability and declines in cognitive performance may occur when directed attention becomes fatigued after prolonged mental effort. Natural settings are often restorative: they enable being away, provide fascinations (i.e., fascinating objects) that engage one’s involuntary attention, offer a sense of extent, and are high in compatibility with human inclinations (Kaplan, 1995, p. 174). The relational approach has further highlighted that spending time in nature develops personal skills to perceive fascinations that effortlessly engage our involuntary attention and enable feelings of well-being (Rantala & Puhakka, 2020). Empirical studies have indicated that interacting with nature facilitates attentional recovery and reduces mental fatigue. Experiences in nature were shown to improve concentration, academic performance, and the capability to carry out mentally challenging tasks (Bratman et al., 2015; van den Berg et al., 2003), also among adolescents (Greenwood & Gatersleben, 2016). Physiological benefits of being in natural settings include, for example, reduced heart rate and blood pressure (e.g., Ulrich et al., 1991).

Natural settings and shared nature experiences also provide opportunities for social interaction, reinforce bonds within families or communities, and promote social cohesion (Jennings & Bamkole, 2019; Weinstein et al., 2015). Greenwood and Gatersleben (2016) observed that spending time with a friend improved restorative experiences outdoors for adolescents (see Owens & McKinnon, 2009). According to Birch et al. (2020), connection and care with the human and non-human world was one well-being benefit of nature experiences for young people. Contact with nature fosters a sense of connection with the outside world that may extend to a feeling of caring and closeness with others (Weinstein et al., 2015).

Finally, some studies have identified spiritual fulfillment and feelings of being connected to a wider reality as benefits of nature experiences. For example, Snell and Simmonds (2012) noted that spiritual experiences led to changes in self and personality and in turn promoted long-term psychological well-being (see Birch et al., 2020).

Studying experiences: A phenomenological approach

Experience in nature has been defined in varying ways, from general “time spent in natural areas” to more specific descriptions, such as the intentional and nonintentional “person-nature interaction,” “self-directed and other-directed” interaction, or “consumptive, mechanized, and appreciative” activities in natural settings (Rosa & Collado, 2019, p. 2). We deepen the understanding of the topic by paying attention to adolescents’ descriptions of their experiences in natural environments, particular ways of engaging with nature, and the meanings they give to these experiences. Focusing on experiences is justified to better understand the diverse effects of nature on adolescents’ well-being as well as the varying reasons underlying the different relationships with nature (e.g., Bannon, 2016; McMillan, 2018; Pointon, 2014; Tseng & Wang, 2020).

Based on previous research, subjective experiences in nature are not simply positive or negative but may include evaluations of the elements constituting the experience and meaning making between personal and social aspects of the experience (e.g., Beery & Lekies, 2021). Phenomenology is one approach researchers can engage to explore the experience of leisure. Through the process of interpretation, phenomenology aims to understand the complex structure of lived experience (e.g., Laverty, 2003). Nature phenomenology refers to an attempt to understand experiences in the natural environment and human relationships with nature (e.g., Bannon, 2016).

Phenomenology does not constitute a unified field. Our analysis draws from hermeneutic philosophy rooted in Martin Heidegger’s existential philosophy. While some strands of phenomenology are relatively ahistorical, Heidegger (1927/1992) has underlined that human consciousness cannot be separated from the surrounding world (see an overview of the approach: Laverty, 2003). Humans and human meaning making process are seen as situated in a historical and cultural context. In other words, the approach understands the surrounding world and the individual as interdependent and coconstituting each other—not as separate entities. Laverty (2003) has summarized that the hermeneutic approach is interpretive referring to an idea of continuous interpretation and the relativity of the results of analysis. Instead of claiming to find only one objectively correct interpretation, hermeneutic philosophy reminds us that interpretations depend on the situated interpreter. Heidegger (1992) questioned the possibility of a researcher remaining neutral when investigating the meanings that humans give to their experiences. The interpretations are always affected by the observer’s preconceptions. That is why researchers need to practice explicit self-reflection throughout the research process. Despite the differences between philosophical backgrounds, the shared aim of the different ways of doing phenomenological analysis is an effort to interpret and identify the essential meaning of an experience by responding to questions: what was experienced and how it was experienced (e.g., Neubauer et al., 2019)?

While previous phenomenological research has emphasized the value of persons’ unique experiences and subjective accounts of their lives, Donohoe (2016) has argued that there is a need to take better into account the cultural and universal layers—situatedness—shaping our nature experiences. In Finland, as well as in other Nordic countries, outdoor culture differs from many other cultures (see Henderson & Vikander, 2007). Relatively easy access to nature is illustrated, for example, by the everyman’s right that ensures open access to natural settings for various purposes, such as camping for a short period and picking wild berries or mushrooms without a landowner’s permission. Outdoor education is also an established practice in the Nordic countries (Remmen & Iversen, 2022).

The term natural attitude has been used to describe that people typically approach the surrounding familiar home world without a conscious or critical observation (e.g., Donohoe, 2016, p. 17). Phenomenological analysis focusing on adolescents’ everyday experiences in nature aims to show the constituents underlying this natural attitude. Following Lindseth and Norberg’s (2004) approach, we place the experiences into a broader context, the geographical and cultural background (Finland), the special circumstances during material collection (the COVID-19 pandemic) as well as the previous studies addressing the effects of nature-related engagement.

Methods

To answer the questions of what adolescents’ experience in nature and how they experience it, we collected research material addressing adolescents’ accounts on this topic. The material consisted of thematic writings written by 15- to 16-year-old adolescents in the city of Lahti in southern Finland. Water and green areas surround Lahti which is a typical, mid-sized city in Finland with 120,000 citizens. In total, 39 students in the ninth grade participated in the study, with a majority of young women (n = 25; young men n = 14). The material was collected in two upper comprehensive schools in April–May 2020. The data collection started <2 weeks after the COVID-19 pandemic had become serious in Finland and remote teaching started in schools. One school was located in a suburban area with relatively easy access to urban nature and the other closer to rural natural areas in a population center of over 12,000 inhabitants.

Before data collection, the general permit was acquired from the city of Lahti to collect the research material in the schools, and then permission was acquired from both schools. As the data were collected during the period of remote teaching, the teachers sent the written assignment and the information about the aims of the research to the students online. Participation in the research was voluntary. The students sent their typewritten documents to the teacher who sent them to the researchers. The collected material was anonymous, and participants gave their written consent to voluntarily participate in the study.

Thematic questions presented in the assignment covered five broad themes related to leisure time experiences in nature: (1) outdoor recreation in leisure time; (2) effects on mood and well-being; (3) importance of nature; (4) leisure time natural environments and elements, and (5) definitions of nature. Moreover, the participants’ gender (man/woman/other) and age were asked for background information. Thematic questions aimed to facilitate free expression on the topic (experiences in nature) in line with the principles of phenomenological approach (Lindseth & Norberg, 2004). The length of the texts varied from half a page to one and a half pages.

It was possible to use an explorative and inductive approach when analyzing adolescents’ experiences in nature based on their writings (for a similar research setting, see Hakoköngäs & Puhakka, 2021; Korpela, 1992; Pointon, 2014). Lindseth and Norberg (2004) have suggested the phenomenological analysis to include three phases. In the first phase of naïve reading, we read the text several times with an open mind to become familiar with the material and its meanings. In the second phase of structural analysis, following the research questions (what and how), we identified the meaning units (sentences or longer parts of the text addressing the studied experience) and constructed more abstract themes and sub-themes to describe the experiences on a general level. In the third phase, after the initial naming of themes and discussion of their interpretations, we refined the coding scheme and combined similar codes to create wider themes. We formed a coding sheet to draw an overall picture of all responses. We had a mutual understanding of the final coding. Finally, our aim was to get a comprehensive understanding by looking at the findings in light of relevant literature and critically considering our own preconceptions.

In presenting the findings, we draw from Ponterotto’s (2015, p. 543) definition of thick description which he has summarized as “both describing and interpreting observed social action (or behavior) within its particular context” conveying the reader the essential of the experience in the focus of research. The excerpts from the writings (translated into English by the authors and checked by the professional native language editor) are selected to provide readers with a sense of verisimilitude and to place themselves within the research context.

Findings

In thematic writings, adolescents provided a varied description of their leisure time experiences in natural environments. In general, the participants described positive nature experiences, and only some negative aspects (such as weather and insects) were raised. The participants mainly described their experiences using similar terms—indicating the inseparability of our experiences and culturally shared linguistic framing (Stefanovic et al., 2016). The recognized common understanding about the topic among the participants (Lindseth & Norberg, 2004) allowed presenting the findings by grouping together similar ways of describing leisure time experiences in nature (Table 1).

Table 1. Ways of describing experiences in nature in the writings.

Characteristics of experiences in nature	Meanings	Examples from the writings
Spontaneous everyday leisure activities in nature	Spending time in nature as an everyday activity allowed by easy access	“Right next to my home, there are a forest and jogging paths, which I visit daily. Further away from home I visit jogging paths close my previous home and sometimes hiking routes.” (P29, young woman)
Escaping everyday life and becoming fascinated in nature	Breaking away from daily life filled with routines, demands, and social norms, becoming fascinated by natural features	“It is nice to spend time in nature because there you can forget the rest of the world. Especially if I’m somewhere in a forest where I can only hear birdsong, I can forget everything.” (P35, young woman)
Holistic multisensory experiences in nature	Experiencing nature as multisensory via sight, hearing, touch, smell, and taste	“I like to spend time in nature because then I can forget all the hurry and just focus on birdsong and the smell of a forest. In nature the soul rests.” (P18, young woman)
Being together and alone in nature	Sharing nature experiences with friends and family, having positive experiences of solitude	“Usually when I’m in nature, I’m jogging/exercising. Usually I exercise alone, but sometimes I spend time in a group in nature. I spend time in nature daily. Previously I liked to build huts in nature with friends.” (P7, young man)
Calming down and improving mood in nature	Attaining various well-being benefits (especially psychological) from nature	“Breathing in nature is good for the lungs. The air feels fresher. Being in nature refreshes me after a hard school day and otherwise. A small jog in a jogging path also affects thinking; I may get new perspectives to some problem, for example. Jogging in nature also calms. If I’m angry and I go walking in a forest, soon I’ll not remember why I was angry.” (P3, young man)

Spontaneous everyday leisure activities in nature

Based on the written accounts, the participants perceived nature as a place of everyday activity. Natural settings near home were low-threshold places where it was possible to spend leisure time daily or at least weekly, emphasizing the spontaneous nature of experiences. Thus, the participants’ experiences were related to various ordinary outdoor activities, such as walking or jogging, hiking, and spending time with family and friends in nature. The participants typically described summertime outdoor activities and experiences and mentioned only a few winter activities, such as skiing. During the pandemic and the period of remote teaching, spontaneous visits to nearby natural settings had become more feasible for some adolescents:

Now that we have remote schooling, I have visited nature more often, and last time I went with my mother and little sister to Pasolanvuori to eat sausages, but usually we go biking in a sawdust track or walking in a forest. (P2, young man)

During weekends and holidays, the participants’ outdoor activities were extended to more distant natural environments, such as rural family cottages and regional or national attractions. Common to these close and distant outings was that forests and to a slightly lesser extent aquatic environments, such as lakes and shores, constituted the context of experiences:

I prefer to spend time in a forest or on the terrace of the cottage, for example. My nearby environment is rather forested, and there is also one bog that is a nice place to visit. There is a lot of nature near my home. I don’t even have to leave the yard to already be in a forest. If I had to pick one favourite place from nature, it would probably be that nearby forest. (…) An important element in nature is one small pond that we often go to see with my little brother. We have even invented a name for the pond. (P38, young woman)

This extract illustrated the way many participants described natural environments that were located next to their homes and enabled daily leisure activities. The mention of inventing a name for the pond illustrated creating a personal relationship with nature. Through naming, places were made familiar and meaningful. In the example, meaning making (giving a name to a natural place) happened socially with a brother; visiting the pond enabled shared nature experiences and maintaining social connections among siblings.

The spontaneous, nonorganized nature of experiences was also demonstrated by the lack of commitment to outdoor recreation. Those participants who described barriers to outdoor activities, perceived issues like weather and seasonal changes, personal activity, or other stimulation to affect their interest of being in nature in leisure time:

I don’t spend so much time in nature because I like to stay at home on a couch with a mobile phone, and usually a trip to quiet nature takes a long time, and it’s simply boring, and there are bugs in summer. (P20, young man)

The participant listed several reasons to avoid visiting nature, such as other (digital) attractions, sentiments, and disturbing natural features. This participant also indicated that preferred natural settings (“quiet nature”) cannot be found near home. However, the writings generally represented a positive orientation toward nature, and there was not a shared theme in the writings discounting nature experiences.

Escaping everyday life and becoming fascinated in nature

Even though the participants described spending time in natural settings as an everyday leisure activity, engaging with nature also meant a way to escape everyday life filled with routines, demands, and social norms. More important than the state of naturalness of the area, for example, was that it allowed breaking away from school and stress: “In nature the head is emptied from everything, especially from school-related stuff” (P22, young woman). A few participants also mentioned an escape from digital devices. Various natural environments not only enabled active doing but also passive staying, observing, and becoming fascinated—when nature and its special features drew attention, everything else became secondary:

I probably spend time in nature because then I can forget all things and concentrate only on nature. I could say that nature is a rather important part of my life. Often, I just want to go to nature. And nature makes me quite happy. Why? Because when I go to nature, I just break away from everything. That is very nice. (P5, young man)

The participant named the experience of happiness as a result of engaging with nature and explicitly reflected that being in a natural environment facilitated escaping from everyday life. Calm and silence as well as beauty were important elements of nature for most participants. However, the adolescents did not draw a strict line between urban nature and more remote “untouched” nature as regards spending time in a natural environment. In general, they were satisfied with the possibilities to experience nature within a short distance of home in an urban area. Even though natural settings in urban and rural areas were not seen as strict opposites, many participants still preferred natural environments outside the cities:

I think urban nature includes parks, small forests, ponds, and lakes if there is space. However, urban nature is nothing compared to, for instance, untouched nature in the countryside and in uninhabited areas where the only voices you can hear are animal sounds, the gurgling of the stream, pitter-patter of rain, and your own voices of being amazed like “G****mn, this is great.” (P1, young man)

This participant verbalized the experience of undisturbed nature as a source of fascination. For the participant, especially sensory experiences, such as various sounds, made the difference between natural settings in urban and rural areas, and the ending of the excerpt underlined the intensity of this difference.

Holistic multisensory experiences in nature

In many writings, leisure time experiences in natural environments were raised by referring to different kinds of sensory experiences. The participants described sensing natural elements in a pleasant way in both urban and rural areas. Nature was experienced as multisensory via sight, hearing, touch, smell, and even taste. For example, participants expressed their reactions about seeing beautiful landscapes, hearing sounds of water or animals, smelling plants, tasting berries, breathing fresh air, or feeling soft moss under their feet. Esthetic and auditory experiences were mentioned the most often. Flora and fauna were important elements in these multisensory experiences as well as other natural features, such as air, water, and sun:

Further away, but still close are Immilä and the cottage by the lake Ruuhijärvi. I visit these two very often if I want to be close to nature. The countryside is the best place for it. I most appreciate birdsong and the feeling of the wind on my body. Both somehow give a lively feeling in the middle of it all in the best way. (P32, young man)

The participant mentioned nearby rural natural settings and described how different sensations constituted an overall “lively feeling.” While some adolescents mentioned only one of the senses, for the others nature experiences were holistic and constituted by a combined effect of several senses.

I like how nature doesn’t change fast and you can explore everything and, for example, under water I can only hear my own breathing. In clear water, it’s even nicer because I can just be and float there as I can adjust my depth with my vest. (P28, young woman)

This participant described how the special features of nature, in this case water, fostered heightened sensory awareness in terms of her sense of being in that moment. A mention of only hearing one’s own breathing and just floating illustrated the possibility to focus on direct sensory experiences in nature. Some participants also described experiences that included more abstract states of being than sensory experiences. In the following excerpt, the participant extended the physical natural landscape to a metaphorical dimension: “My favourite places in nature are definitely shores because I think they represent the typical features of human life, such as roiling, calmness, but also beauty that is admired by everybody” (P10, young woman).

The writing demonstrated how the subjective evaluation (“my favourite places”) was tied to a social context in which a certain kind of nature was evaluated as something that was generally appreciated.

Being together and alone in nature

Even though the participants described being in nature by drawing personal sensory experiences, visits to nature were often social events for them. Various natural settings were described as important places to spend leisure time with friends or family members and maintain social relationships. The writings mentioning the role of social relations indicated that sharing experiences in nature provided possibilities for a different kind of interaction than in everyday life; thus, experiences in nature helped to break down the social norms of daily life:

However, I don’t like crowded nature conservation areas, where I must wait in a line to get over the suspension bridge, because I think that being in nature is in a way being in peace although I wouldn’t go there alone. That’s why I must go to a forest with good friends with whom I can be totally quiet, stare at the lake, without awkward silence. (P6, young woman)

The participant described being comfortably “silent together” in a forest compared to “awkward silence” in other situations and indicated that social relations can also be maintained by being silent. While some participants contrasted urban nature with untouched rural nature, this participant searched for peace in forests outside conservation areas. Irritation caused by crowds reflected adolescents’ search for private places that can be used for social interaction or personal renewal. For some participants, being in a natural environment enabled having a deep conversation and sharing confidential issues with close ones:

I usually go walking with my friend once a week because my friend must do the remote task of sports. We walk for a few hours and discuss everything that has happened in our lives. We usually complain about the school and Corona but sometimes our discussions are very serious. (P8, young man)

Most participants shared nature experiences not only with friends but also with family members, such as parents, siblings, and grandparents. Families spent leisure time together at summer cottages and various natural settings in nearby regions or further afield. Some participants provided a nuanced reflection on the role of their family in their engagement with nature:

I spend a lot of time in nature, it’s like “a second home” for me. It’s probably because our family has always spent a lot of time in nature, and I’ve been on hiking trips since I was small. Nowadays I also often go alone to nature because then I can really turn off my brain and just listen to the peaceful gurgling of the stream and birdsong. (…) Forest and nature are passions for my whole family and as I’m very close to my family, we often have common trips around Finland and we meet each other. (P6, young woman)

The writing demonstrated the importance of positive childhood nature experiences and familial memories in fostering engagement with nature. This participant highlighted the role of outdoor activities in maintaining social cohesion in a family. The participant used a Finnish term “suku” (“family”), which refers not only to immediate family but also includes more distant relatives and different generations. Besides socializing in natural environments, the participant spent leisure time alone in nature. In the writing, being social and being alone in nature intertwined without any conflict which reflected how natural environments enabled various types of experiences depending on the situation. Most participants described experiences of being in solitude in natural settings and associated them with positive meanings. Being alone in natural settings was intentional, selected solitude that did not carry the negative meanings of loneliness but allowed adolescents to concentrate on their own minds or observing nature.

Calming down and improving mood in nature

In addition to positive social outcomes, the participants described the psychological effects of being in natural environments in leisure time. Based on the writings, these effects might be part of the experience at a given time, such as feeling at peace in the midst of nature, or they could extend the moment and survive after the experience, such as feeling happiness or gratitude afterward. As natural environments were easily accessible even in urban areas, the participants used them intentionally as a means of self-regulation for coping with unpleasant feelings: “Nature affects my mind. In bad moments, when staying at home depresses me, I go out. Then I usually search for a peaceful place where I could empty my mind for a while” (P21, young woman).

The participants typically related that nature experiences not only improved their mood but also calmed and relaxed them, relieved stress, and refreshed or gave energy. Only one participant, despite the occasional time spent in natural settings, strongly denied any effects of nature on mood. Those participants who stressed the importance of nature also described the most well-being benefits.

When I’m alone in nature, I can calm down. My anxiety and stress are relieved, and I can focus on other things, such as beautiful landscapes and various sounds and smells. Everyday worries, sorrows, and problems become forgotten, and my mood improves. Being in nature also gives me great pleasure because of the beautiful environment. (P14, young woman)

For the participant, nature afforded fascinating objects, such as landscapes, sounds, and smells that engaged attention and enabled calming down and forgetting about daily life and its worries. The example illustrated how many adolescents described their experiences of concentrating on the moment in nature, while some also mentioned that concentration on schoolwork was easier afterward. Especially when spending time alone, these participants felt that nature experiences helped to clear their thoughts and reflect on their lives.

Often when I exercise in nature, I’m able to think in peace and my mind “rests.” Nature and exercise have significant positive effects on my mood. If I’m angry or sad, exercising in nature usually helps. Nature relieves my stress and gives positive thoughts as an outcome of exercising and doing different things in nature. Nature also affects my well-being because when I get fresh air, I don’t have headaches and my skin stays in better condition. Moreover, exercising in nature enhances my body’s well-being. (P36, young woman)

By focusing on physical outdoor activities, the participant emphasized the role of nature in regulating one’s mental state and replacing a negative mood with a positive state of mind. The participant had also experienced the physiological benefits of being outdoors. Based on the written accounts, natural settings offered adolescents possibilities for various physical leisure activities, motivated them to get exercise, and improved their physical condition.

Discussion

In this study, we have addressed Finnish adolescents’ leisure time experiences in natural environments based on the qualitative analysis of 39 thematic writings. The analysis shed light on adolescents’ subjective voices articulating what their experiences in nature are and how the experiences are made meaningful in terms of well-being, for example. The participants typically described positive, spontaneous experiences that aimed at escaping everyday life. They shared experiences with friends or family but also spent leisure time alone in natural settings. Nature experiences were often multisensory and enhanced adolescents’ well-being.

The spontaneity of nature experiences highlights that the natural environment is an integral part of the young participants’ daily leisure time. In the findings, the adolescents’ intentional use of nature for coping with negative emotions and stress was elicited. Everyday environments that enable self-regulation (see Korpela, 1992; Owens & McKinnon, 2009) are important for adolescents who may experience mood swings and increased irritability. The findings stress the importance of natural settings in enabling being away and temporarily retreating from daily routines, demands, social norms, and even digital technologies (see Arvidsen & Beames, 2019; Birch et al., 2020; Milligan & Bingley, 2007; Wiens et al., 2016). The writings illustrated adolescents’ intentional search for private places that can be used for either social interaction or personal renewal (see Abbott-Chapman & Robertson, 2001). The findings support the idea that escape and privacy are particularly important for adolescents seeking to become independent, forge their own identities, and detach from their parents. Natural settings may enable young people to be themselves, feel accepted and free from any control or judgment, and help with forming self-identity (Abbott-Chapman & Robertson, 2001; Birch et al., 2020; Puhakka, 2021; Wiens et al., 2016).

Based on the findings, spending leisure time alone in natural environments is associated with positive meanings: outdoor activities enable calming and restoring, clearing one’s thoughts as well as reflecting on personal matters. Although friends and social activities are important for adolescents’ well-being (Greenwood & Gatersleben, 2016; Kaplan & Kaplan, 2002), the findings stress young people’s need to also spend time away from others. Experiences of solitude and silence seem to be particularly important for those adolescents who have a very intimate relationship with nature (Hakoköngäs & Puhakka, 2021; Puhakka, 2021). The findings are in line with the observation of Szczytko et al. (2020) that solitary time spent in natural settings was the most important predictor of a high connection to nature. Places that enable solitude and reflection are beneficial to adolescents’ important developmental tasks, such as positive identity formation, self-efficacy, and value formation (Owens & McKinnon, 2009). The importance of retreating from social interaction and social norms may increase as adolescents are struggling to cope with the pressures of social media, for example (McCrae et al., 2017).

The findings illustrate that being social and being in solitude in nature may be bound to different situations and intertwine without any conflict in adolescents’ everyday lives. Outdoor activities offer possibilities for shared nature experiences with friends and family and strengthening social relationships (see Birch et al., 2020; Weinstein et al., 2015), especially during the pandemic. Leisure time environments facilitating social interaction are especially needed at the age when the importance of peer relationship is highlighted (see Brown & Larson, 2009). Spending time with peers contributes not only to adolescents’ self-identity and self-esteem but also their sense of belonging in the community (Owens & McKinnon, 2009; see Szczytko et al., 2020). Since generally in Finland and other Nordic countries, natural environments, such as forests and aquatic environments are easily accessible even in urban areas, it is possible to visit them spontaneously and in nonorganized ways as described in the writings. Natural settings offer adolescents places to hang out independently with friends and stay away from adult control while participation in organized leisure activities supervised by adults may decrease in adolescence (see Salasuo, 2021).

While adolescence is a period of becoming independent and taking distance from parents, the findings demonstrate how outdoor activities may also facilitate spending leisure time together with family members and afford closer interaction for families (see Rantala & Puhakka, 2020). In Finland and other Nordic countries, many families spend time together at rural second homes where nature-related skills are often practiced together by different generations (see Poikolainen, 2022). Thus, the study illustrates the importance of childhood experiences and familial memories for engagement with nature (see Lovelock et al., 2016; Taye et al., 2019). The findings are also in line with Tseng’s and Wang’s (2020) observation that positive childhood experiences reduce fear of nature, which enables deepening relationships with nature in adolescence. In our study, the feeling of safety in nearby natural settings was illustrated implicitly by the absence of descriptions of feeling any fear in nature (cf. Milligan & Bingley, 2007).

The findings also indicate how nature affords fascinating objects that engage adolescents’ involuntary attention and enable restoration (see Kaplan, 1995; Kaplan & Kaplan, 1989). As the participants described, nature facilitates focusing on direct sensory experiences instead of worrying about personal issues. Hence, adolescents often derive positive emotions and feelings of well-being from pleasant sensations and embodied experiences in nature (see Arvidsen & Beames, 2019; Beery & Lekies, 2021; McMillan, 2018). Each sense—sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch—can strengthen their connection with nature (Tseng & Wang, 2020). Adolescents’ descriptions of multisensory, holistic experiences also highlight their need for corporeal experiences in leisure time rather than only virtual ones (see Young et al., 2018). In the descriptions of multisensory fascinations, recreational, experiential, and even existential elements intertwined with holistic experiences. The findings support the relational approach indicating that the more often adolescents spend time in natural settings, the more often they perceive affordances that increase their well-being (see Rantala & Puhakka, 2020).

The study indicates the importance of leisure time nature experiences in supporting adolescents’ well-being and helping to cope with pandemic-related stress (see Jackson et al., 2021). Based on the findings, nature enables physical activity and supports emotional and cognitive renewal (see Birch et al., 2020; Milligan & Bingley, 2007; Wiens et al., 2016; Zamora et al., 2021). While coping with the pandemic was described only in a few writings, the findings more generally highlight psychological well-being benefits of nature, such as calming and improving mood or positive feelings. Other kinds of effects may have been difficult to verbalize for the young participants. While physiological benefits can be observed with physiological measures, such as measuring heart rate (e.g., Ulrich et al., 1991), understanding positive effects on communication, social interaction, and social cohesion would require deeper qualitative analysis in the future.

Bannon (2016) has noted how the different background knowledge and context may affect the ways people interpret their nature experiences. For example, if ecological concerns are central, people may explain and interpret their experiences, particularly through the need to preserve nature. According to the present findings, the scientific psychological discourse on well-being seems to be important in Finnish adolescents’ nature experiences. This readiness to recognize well-being effects may reflect the psychologized public discussion and be a result of the culturally established importance of nature, for example, in education (Remmen & Iversen, 2022), or it may reflect the themes given in the assignment.

This study has demonstrated how thematic writings can be used in analyzing adolescents’ leisure time experiences in natural settings. As a limitation, adolescents’ behavior and views might have been slightly different at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic than before it. Our findings, however, are in line with previous studies on Finnish adolescents’ relationships with nature (e.g., Hakoköngäs & Puhakka, 2021; Rantala & Puhakka, 2020) showing that the described experiences are not specifically related to the pandemic. The recent evidence has also shown that participation in outdoor recreation by under 25-year-old Finns has remained high since 2020 (Ranta & Ahtinen, 2022).

For most participants in our study, nature appeared as a part of the familiar and secure home world in Donohoe’s (2016) terms. The analyzed writings mainly represented this kind of uncomplicated relationship with nature. However, all students in the participating classes were not willing to take part in the study, which was a plausible reason for the absence of negative nature experiences in the writings. Possibly the group of nonparticipants included adolescents who were not interested in the nature-oriented theme of the writings or had difficulties in verbalizing their experiences in natural environments. To better understand the experiences that appear as ordinary and familiar, it would be useful to study adolescents for whom nature is something strange and unapproachable, a part of alien world (Donohoe, 2016, p. 18). More research is needed to shed light on adolescents’ negative nature experiences and barriers for spending time in natural settings.

Although the aim of the guiding questions was to facilitate free telling, they may have framed the assignment and affected the responses (Stefanovic et al., 2016). It is possible that terms, such as “well-being” guided participants to describe certain types of experiences, although the data indicated that the participants wrote about their ideas independently and creatively with the focus on personal experiences and feelings. The use of language inevitably sets frames and restricts the presentation of experiences (Stefanovic et al., 2016). In the future, text-centered research material could be accompanied with methods, such as producing images to better understand the different and possibly unverbalized dimensions of nature experiences.

The vivid writings illustrated that nature could have a meaningful role in adolescents’ everyday lives. A large-scale Finnish quantitative study has also shown that only a minority of adolescents is not attracted to nature at all (Kaipainen, 2021). The data of the present study was collected from a specific geographical and cultural area in Finland, allowing easy access to various natural environments, while in other geographical and cultural contexts, adolescents may perceive nature differently and have different kinds of possibilities to be in contact with it. One limitation is also that the researchers’ previous studies had created preconceptions about the importance of nature for adolescents. Furthermore, the researchers themselves are part of the cultural context in which the adolescents’ experiences are situated. Interpreting experiences that are close to researchers’ own home world is challenging (Donohoe, 2016). However, following the principles of phenomenology, we have approached the material inductively with an openness to unexpected contents (Lindseth & Norberg, 2004; Stefanovic et al., 2016). Based on our previous research, we did not know what kinds of meanings adolescents give to nature experiences, which helped to maintain an inquisitive orientation toward the material. The excerpts in the findings section were selected to give the readers from other contexts the possibility of gaining a deeper understanding of Finnish adolescents’ experiences and evaluating the researchers’ interpretations (Ponterotto, 2015).

Conclusions

This study based on the phenomenological analysis of thematic writings shed light on adolescents’ experiences in nature. The findings highlight the importance of recognizing and acknowledging the role of nature as part of adolescents’ leisure time experiences and their well-being. The study broadens the understanding of adolescents’ nature experiences and provides future studies possibilities to deepen the knowledge of, for example, esthetic or mood-enhancing experiences in nature. While public debate and previous studies have often noticed young people’s decreasing contact with nature (e.g., Soga & Gaston, 2016), this study stresses the everydayness and ordinariness of nature experiences in participants’ lives. The Nordic example illustrates the benefits of preserving nature and being in close contact with it for adolescents’ well-being, especially in the times of crisis (see Jackson et al., 2021). Easy access to natural settings in urban areas enables spontaneous and multisensory nature experiences, escaping daily life filled with routines, demands, and social norms, and coping with negative emotions and stress when needed. Although adolescents’ need for peer relationships is often highlighted, the study also demonstrates the importance of solitary leisure time experiences in natural settings.

However, special efforts are needed to support young people’s opportunities to experience nature and derive well-being benefits from it. Based on the findings, we emphasize the importance of preserving various natural settings in urban areas: leisure time environments that provide a sense of the extent and multisensory experiences and enable self-directed exploration and being away from everyday worries and concerns. Hearing adolescents’ voices in decision-making and land-use planning is needed to improve their opportunities for experiencing nature. The potential of outdoor activities to support adolescents’ well-being should be recognized and nature-based solutions used in youth, mental health care, education, and social sectors. For example, structured outdoor programs or other nature-based interventions are proactive means of enhancing adolescents’ engagement with nature and their mental health. Positive experiences in natural environments are needed to foster a lifelong connection to nature and feelings of well-being.

Ethical approval

Based on the ethical guidelines of the Finnish National Board on Research Integrity, ethics approval was not required for this study. However, we ensured that participants’ rights and well-being were always taken care of in accordance with the ethical principles of research with human participants.

Acknowledgments

We thank all the respondents, the teachers, and the schools that participated in the study.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Academy of Finland under Grant 321250.