What is a Mosquito’s Character Strength?

Nature feeds our souls. But in Western industrialized and technologized societies, researchers warn that we are losing our connection to this most basic humanizing resource, which has direct consequences on our overall psychological, emotional, and social well-being. Finding time to connect with nature, however, can be tricky for many of us for many reasons.

Luckily, a new study published in the Journal of Happiness Studies offers two creative, fun, and simple exercises that can easily be done by both adults and students.

Scientists designed and tested two interventions that used character strengths as a way to look at and interact with nature (see below for a detailed description of each one). Participants who engaged in one of these two practices (in comparison to a control group) showed a significant increase in things like a sense of connection to “everything and everyone” including nature, “flourishing, harmony in life, satisfaction in life” and positive emotions.

As one participant told researchers, “I learned that I need to appreciate nature more and even stopping doing something for a second to enjoy nature is worth it.”

So, if forest bathing, urban or otherwise, or visiting a Dark Sky location to see the stars is out of reach or not your cup of tea, then you might try these scientist-created-and-tested, super-simple-and-delightful, nature-oriented exercises that have surprising benefits—and are fun for students and adults alike!

Review the list of 24 character strengths, and choose several that you identify with. Next, ask yourself: “How does NATURE display the character strengths that I identify with?”

For example, I love the character strength “perspective” which encompasses “the ability to see the bigger picture in life.” I imagine a grove of ancient oak trees having perspective — they have been on this planet for so many centuries and have weathered many storms, human-made or otherwise, and they’re still here. It helps me to remember “this too shall pass.”

For more inspiration, see the chart below generated by the study’s participants:

Choose several character strengths that you most identify with, and consider how you use them. Next, “choose the Character Strength on the list of 24 that is most energizing, easy to use, and most core/essential to who you are. Use that strength in one new way each day to connect more with nature.”

So what is a mosquito’s character strength? Fairness, because “mosquitoes bite everyone no matter who they are.”

Researchers designed the two interventions described above and tested them in three separate studies. In Study 1, 134 adults between the ages of 20-69 from Western countries were divided into intervention and control groups. The intervention group was asked to engage in the first exercise over a period of seven days. In Study 2, 106 undergraduates from a Canadian university were divided into intervention and control groups, with the intervention group again engaging in the first exercise with slightly adjusted language for clarity. In the final study, 99 undergraduates from a Canadian university were again divided into intervention and control groups, with the former testing the second practice over a period of seven days.

Participants from all three studies completed pre- and post-surveys that measured various aspects of well-being, including a sense of connection to nature. Results showed that participants who engaged in the activities (in comparison to control groups) reported higher levels of connection to nature, to everything and everyone, well-being, harmony and satisfaction with life, elevation, and positive emotions. However, no significant boost in the likelihood of participating in pro-environmental behavior was found.

Passmore, H., Lumber, R., Niemiec, R., & Sofen, L. I. (2025). Creating kinship with nature and boosting well-being: Testing two novel character strengths-based nature connectedness interventions. Journal of Happiness Studies, 26(71). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-025-00900-9