Emotional Encounters in Nature: Insights for Environmental Engagement
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.18666/JPRA-2025-13139Keywords:
awe, emotional engagement, immersive experiences, nature-based tourism, swimming with whales, wildlife encountersAbstract
This research note explores how emotionally intense wildlife encounters can produce lasting personal and environmental impacts. Using the case of swim-with-whales tourism and based on in-depth qualitative interviews conducted at least one year after the encounter, the study examines how such experiences are remembered and integrated over time, with specific focus on the lasting impacts of nature-induced awe on attitudes toward self and the environment. Findings suggest that awe functioned as a powerful pathway to nature connectedness, personal empowerment, a reorientation of life priorities, and sustained pro-environmental behavior. The findings point to several actionable lessons and acknowledge ethical dilemmas surrounding human-wildlife interactions. Specifically, such experiences often remain an elite and exclusive activity—put simply, they are financially costly and logistically inaccessible to most. This presents both a challenge and opportunity for future practice: can we design emotionally resonant, awe-inspiring experiences in more accessible settings?
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