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In this Comment, we argue that nature and health research should move beyond theories focused on stress reduction and attention restoration to include capacity-building frameworks that emphasize flourishing, social connection and agency. We highlight nature-based social interventions as a means of strengthening individual, community and planetary well-being.
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Acknowledgements
We are grateful to the global ecosystem of partner organizations, study participants and practice communities that have contributed to the knowledge generation that has shaped this work. This work was partially supported by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement no. 945095. J.S.L. acknowledges support from grant CEX2023-0001290-S, funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033, and support from the Generalitat de Catalunya through the CERCA Program.
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The authors declare no competing interests.
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Litt, J.S., Tate, W. & Chawla, L. We are nature: expanding theoretical foundations for nature and health research and practice. Nat. Mental Health (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s44220-026-00706-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s44220-026-00706-5
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