The UK press picked up a recent study from Miles Richardson’s team at the University of Derby, which found that the strongest indicator of nature connectedness was spirituality. I was initially intrigued about this research, and then it started nagging at me. I had a felt sense that I was missing something here, but what?

Suddenly, the penny dropped: people have been writing about this reality for decades, so why the sudden interest from the press now? I wanted some context, so I pulled a couple of volumes from my bookshelf. Then more. I found a dozen books that explore the deep relationship between spirituality and nature connectedness—and this is just my collection. Clearly, it’s only the tip of an iceberg.

This increased attention is significant for two reasons. First, the UK press showed enthusiasm for the Derby research because it’s backed by statistics. There’s a lot of data here, so it’s seen as more scientific and therefore more worthy of our attention. The irony, however, is that the research showed higher levels of nature connection in societies that prefer faith over science. Second, despite decades of writing about nature connection and spirituality, there has been little impact. All those books, all those profound ideas, and yet our level of nature connectedness is falling.

Which brings us to a fundamental question: what motivates behavioural change? Environmental campaigns have typically used facts, and that hasn’t made much difference. I’m beginning to think that experiences matter much more than data.

The dramatic reduction in the use of plastic packaging didn’t come because people suddenly knew the facts about the problem. David Attenborough’s ‘Blue Planet II’ showed us albatross parents unknowingly feeding plastic to their chicks. Viewers had an experience, and there was a shift in people’s attitudes towards plastics. I recently overheard someone saying how important it was to reduce plastic packaging because it kills ocean animals. That may not capture the full complexity of the issue, but frankly, I care much less about that than the change in that person’s behaviour. Experiences matter more than facts.

it’s not what you know, it’s the way that you know it

I’ve long argued that the key to real change is embodied knowing; it’s not what you know, it’s the way that you know it. Another way of saying this is that experiences matter more than facts. Facts come into conscious awareness and occasionally shift our beliefs. More often than not, they get forgotten or re-interpreted to fit our pre-existing worldview. But experiences can create or modify embodied knowing, and that sticks.

If you want to delve into the fact and theory behind spirituality and nature connectedness, go to a library. If you want to experience it, go to the woods.

• A deep dive into research on Embodied Ways of Knowing
• Renee Lertzman’s article about the theory of change