Work

Daily dynamics of needs-based crafting, nature exposure, nature relatedness, and energy across life domains

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Replenishing depleted energy, both during and outside work, is essential for employees’ well-being. Two recovery strategies to restore energy include exposure to nature and detachment-relaxation crafting. Moreover, nature relatedness may represent a psychological pathway through which nature exposure contributes to energy recovery. Despite substantial research examining the effects of each strategy on energy recovery independently, it remains empirically ambiguous whether one of these strategies has a stronger impact on energy than the other within the workday. It is also unclear whether energy is required for using both strategies. Moreover, the work context may limit opportunities and flexibility to be exposed to nature and to proactively craft for detachment-relaxation, suggesting that the use of recovery strategies may differ between work and non-work domains. Using an ecological momentary assessment design with 6,624 measurement occasions nested within 386 employees over two weeks, we examined (1) the moment-to-moment contemporaneous, autoregressive, and cross-lagged associations between detachment-relaxation crafting, nature exposure, nature relatedness and energy, and (2) how work and non-work domains influence differences in levels of nature exposure, nature relatedness, detachment-relaxation crafting, and energy. Our findings showed significant contemporaneous, autoregressive and cross-lagged relations. Nature exposure, nature relatedness and crafting in the preceding three hours positively predicted current energy levels. When being outside of work compared to at work, employees were more likely to be exposed to and related to nature, and more likely to proactively craft for detachment-relaxation within a three-hour period. Our findings enhance our theoretical and practical understanding of daily recovery processes related to nature exposure, nature relatedness, and crafting strategies across life domains.

Source: Journal of Environmental Psychology

DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvp.2026.103024

Authors: Kang Leng Ho, Georg F. Bauer, Philipp Kerksieck, Jessica de Bloom

Language: English

Topic: Urban Green Space and Health

Subfield: Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis

Field: Environmental Science

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDGs: Decent work and economic growth, Good health and well-being

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $4,380

Funders: Schweizerischer Nationalfonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung, Academy of Finland, Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek