‘Letting my mind run wild’: Exploring the role of individual engagement in nature experiences

Abstract

Mindfulness and mind wandering are among distinct forms of cognitive engagement proposed to occur during nature experiences. Little is known however about how these forms of engagement support psychological benefits of urban nature experiences, and under what environmental and personal circumstances. We aimed to explore these associations through interviewing 20 individuals after they had spent time in an urban green space on a work break. Interviews examined different aspects of their experience, including how they cognitively engaged during that time. We used a framework approach to thematically analyse interviews, allowing us to identify links between key experiential categories such as f..