Over the years, I have traveled a good portion of the United States as well as a handful of other countries. Although it took me quite a while to appreciate, I now realize that North Central Pennsylvania is one of the most beautiful places that I have ever seen. Furthermore, that this beauty has the potential to enrich our lives on a deeply spiritual level. In fact, research supports this statement.

According to an article by Norwegian researchers, Lovoll et al. titled, “Feeling at Home in the Wilderness: Environmental Conditions, Well-Being, and Aesthetic Experience,” environmental conditions in nature can affect our aesthetic experience in nature. This means that things like the weather, the views we see, and our time spent in nature can affect our perception of being connected to nature and also our feeling of well-being. Researchers also found a high correlation between “being at home” in nature and life satisfaction under certain conditions.

In this study, researchers took two groups of people and placed them in naturally occurring, yet intense, environmental conditions. Both groups participated in a 5-day winter wilderness training course that challenged both their leadership skills as well as their survival skills. Participants answered both pre- and post-challenge questionnaires and questions during the challenge about the aesthetic aspects of their experience.

The study showed the highest correlation between personal growth, being at home in nature, and life satisfaction during both sunny and rainy days. The interesting thing was that these feelings were strongest with the group that was on a high plateau and not as strong with the group that was within the forest. While both groups experienced a sense of growth, only the plateau participants experienced feelings of life-satisfaction.

Furthermore, researchers were able to boil down their findings into six dimensions: focus on sensory experiences at a particular moment, self-reflection, wonder, appreciation of beauty, positive emotions, and insight of relation to nature.

So, what does any of this mean? The findings indicated that when people experience wonder that is created by reflection or surprise, they feel at home in nature. For example, when a person hikes to a mountain peak and can look at wilderness for miles, they experience a sense of belonging to something larger than themselves. This feeling of connectedness is also related to feelings of well-being and self-awareness. While both groups experienced a sense of growth with their efforts to survive and stay warm, the group on the plateau felt the additional sense of life-satisfaction. Since they spent much of their time skiing, they were able to move about in nature and experience its beautiful scenery and feel connected to nature in complex ways.

Research supports what the people of North Central Pennsylvania already know that being connected with nature has many positive benefits. I truly believe we are fortunate to live in a place that is full of natural beauty. We have rolling hills, mountains, and valleys. Rivers, creeks, forests, and open fields. Frankly, I think it’s almost perfect. So, why not take advantage of all that this area has to offer and allow its natural beauty to feed your soul.