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Wellbeing, nature connection and vaccine attitudes: A convergent mixed methods study in Wim Hof Method practitioners

Jade Huish, Zoe Fisher Orcid Logo, Amy Isham Orcid Logo, Andrew Kemp Orcid Logo

PLOS Mental Health, Volume: 2, Issue: 3, Start page: e0000281

Swansea University Authors: Jade Huish, Zoe Fisher Orcid Logo, Amy Isham Orcid Logo, Andrew Kemp Orcid Logo

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DOI (Published version): 10.1371/journal.pmen.0000281

Abstract

Amidst global challenges like the COVID-19 pandemic and the climate crisis, there’s a pressing need for strategies that improve wellbeing. This study investigates the Wim Hof Method (WHM) as a potential tool for enhancing wellbeing and its influence on related aspects including nature connectedness...

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Published in: PLOS Mental Health
ISSN: 2837-8156
Published: Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2025
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URI: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa69204
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This study investigates the Wim Hof Method (WHM) as a potential tool for enhancing wellbeing and its influence on related aspects including nature connectedness and health attitudes, including vaccine uptake. We conducted a mixed-methods study involving an online survey with 192 UK-based WHM practitioners and in-depth interviews with 15 of these participants. The focus was on their wellbeing, perceptions of climate change, and decisions regarding vaccine use during the COVID pandemic. Following exclusions, a total of 132 participants were available for quantitative analysis. Findings revealed higher levels of wellbeing among WHM practitioners relative to pre-pandemic (d=&#x2009; 0.78) and pandemic-era (d=&#x2009; 1.32) benchmarks. Notably, nature connectedness was found to mediate the relationship between WHM practice and enhanced wellbeing (p&lt;.05, bootstrapped). Thematic analysis yielded seven main themes: the cultivation of positive psychological states, experience of challenging climate-related emotions, improved distress management, heightened sense of connectedness, perceived vulnerability to COVID-19, moral and social responsibility, and the recognition of opportunities for positive change. Vaccine attitudes were nuanced, with some practitioners prioritising public health through vaccination while others leaned towards natural health approaches, reflecting a broader tension between individual beliefs and collective wellbeing. While 73% (96 of 132) of our sample either had received or intended to receive the vaccine, this was lower than the wider UK population at that time (96%). Overall, our findings underscore WHM&#x2019;s role in not only bolstering human wellbeing during adversity but also highlight opportunities for promoting environmentally sustainable behaviours by reconnecting people to nature. 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spelling 2025-04-30T12:28:00.5707066 v2 69204 2025-04-01 Wellbeing, nature connection and vaccine attitudes: A convergent mixed methods study in Wim Hof Method practitioners d3b25ef3dd5e3c0e05b1dfa41c16a408 Jade Huish Jade Huish true false b7d5965d35de6f683716c6eb1e82ff81 0000-0001-8150-2499 Zoe Fisher Zoe Fisher true false 5fce1ddf9df54207881ee2541a8e0074 0000-0001-6089-709X Amy Isham Amy Isham true false dfd05900f0e2409d3f67dca227c59a93 0000-0003-1146-3791 Andrew Kemp Andrew Kemp true false 2025-04-01 Amidst global challenges like the COVID-19 pandemic and the climate crisis, there’s a pressing need for strategies that improve wellbeing. This study investigates the Wim Hof Method (WHM) as a potential tool for enhancing wellbeing and its influence on related aspects including nature connectedness and health attitudes, including vaccine uptake. We conducted a mixed-methods study involving an online survey with 192 UK-based WHM practitioners and in-depth interviews with 15 of these participants. The focus was on their wellbeing, perceptions of climate change, and decisions regarding vaccine use during the COVID pandemic. Following exclusions, a total of 132 participants were available for quantitative analysis. Findings revealed higher levels of wellbeing among WHM practitioners relative to pre-pandemic (d=  0.78) and pandemic-era (d=  1.32) benchmarks. Notably, nature connectedness was found to mediate the relationship between WHM practice and enhanced wellbeing (p<.05, bootstrapped). Thematic analysis yielded seven main themes: the cultivation of positive psychological states, experience of challenging climate-related emotions, improved distress management, heightened sense of connectedness, perceived vulnerability to COVID-19, moral and social responsibility, and the recognition of opportunities for positive change. Vaccine attitudes were nuanced, with some practitioners prioritising public health through vaccination while others leaned towards natural health approaches, reflecting a broader tension between individual beliefs and collective wellbeing. While 73% (96 of 132) of our sample either had received or intended to receive the vaccine, this was lower than the wider UK population at that time (96%). Overall, our findings underscore WHM’s role in not only bolstering human wellbeing during adversity but also highlight opportunities for promoting environmentally sustainable behaviours by reconnecting people to nature. This dual benefit highlights potential for fostering human flourishing as well as environmental stewardship while reinforcing the need for carefully tailored public health strategies that engage with diverse perspectives to maximise both individual and societal resilience. Journal Article PLOS Mental Health 2 3 e0000281 Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2837-8156 26 3 2025 2025-03-26 10.1371/journal.pmen.0000281 COLLEGE NANME COLLEGE CODE Swansea University SU Library paid the OA fee (TA Institutional Deal) Swansea University 2025-04-30T12:28:00.5707066 2025-04-01T17:53:38.1475027 Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences School of Psychology Jade Huish 1 Zoe Fisher 0000-0001-8150-2499 2 Amy Isham 0000-0001-6089-709X 3 Andrew Kemp 0000-0003-1146-3791 4 69204__34140__f3ad732e7349492eb1ac2c9a41a52e64.pdf 69204.VoR.pdf 2025-04-30T12:25:28.0503305 Output 879157 application/pdf Version of Record true © 2025 Huish et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. true eng http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
title Wellbeing, nature connection and vaccine attitudes: A convergent mixed methods study in Wim Hof Method practitioners
spellingShingle Wellbeing, nature connection and vaccine attitudes: A convergent mixed methods study in Wim Hof Method practitioners
Jade Huish
Zoe Fisher
Amy Isham
Andrew Kemp
title_short Wellbeing, nature connection and vaccine attitudes: A convergent mixed methods study in Wim Hof Method practitioners
title_full Wellbeing, nature connection and vaccine attitudes: A convergent mixed methods study in Wim Hof Method practitioners
title_fullStr Wellbeing, nature connection and vaccine attitudes: A convergent mixed methods study in Wim Hof Method practitioners
title_full_unstemmed Wellbeing, nature connection and vaccine attitudes: A convergent mixed methods study in Wim Hof Method practitioners
title_sort Wellbeing, nature connection and vaccine attitudes: A convergent mixed methods study in Wim Hof Method practitioners
author_id_str_mv d3b25ef3dd5e3c0e05b1dfa41c16a408
b7d5965d35de6f683716c6eb1e82ff81
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dfd05900f0e2409d3f67dca227c59a93
author_id_fullname_str_mv d3b25ef3dd5e3c0e05b1dfa41c16a408_***_Jade Huish
b7d5965d35de6f683716c6eb1e82ff81_***_Zoe Fisher
5fce1ddf9df54207881ee2541a8e0074_***_Amy Isham
dfd05900f0e2409d3f67dca227c59a93_***_Andrew Kemp
author Jade Huish
Zoe Fisher
Amy Isham
Andrew Kemp
author2 Jade Huish
Zoe Fisher
Amy Isham
Andrew Kemp
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container_title PLOS Mental Health
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publishDate 2025
institution Swansea University
issn 2837-8156
doi_str_mv 10.1371/journal.pmen.0000281
publisher Public Library of Science (PLoS)
college_str Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences
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hierarchy_top_title Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences
hierarchy_parent_id facultyofmedicinehealthandlifesciences
hierarchy_parent_title Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences
department_str School of Psychology{{{_:::_}}}Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences{{{_:::_}}}School of Psychology
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description Amidst global challenges like the COVID-19 pandemic and the climate crisis, there’s a pressing need for strategies that improve wellbeing. This study investigates the Wim Hof Method (WHM) as a potential tool for enhancing wellbeing and its influence on related aspects including nature connectedness and health attitudes, including vaccine uptake. We conducted a mixed-methods study involving an online survey with 192 UK-based WHM practitioners and in-depth interviews with 15 of these participants. The focus was on their wellbeing, perceptions of climate change, and decisions regarding vaccine use during the COVID pandemic. Following exclusions, a total of 132 participants were available for quantitative analysis. Findings revealed higher levels of wellbeing among WHM practitioners relative to pre-pandemic (d=  0.78) and pandemic-era (d=  1.32) benchmarks. Notably, nature connectedness was found to mediate the relationship between WHM practice and enhanced wellbeing (p<.05, bootstrapped). Thematic analysis yielded seven main themes: the cultivation of positive psychological states, experience of challenging climate-related emotions, improved distress management, heightened sense of connectedness, perceived vulnerability to COVID-19, moral and social responsibility, and the recognition of opportunities for positive change. Vaccine attitudes were nuanced, with some practitioners prioritising public health through vaccination while others leaned towards natural health approaches, reflecting a broader tension between individual beliefs and collective wellbeing. While 73% (96 of 132) of our sample either had received or intended to receive the vaccine, this was lower than the wider UK population at that time (96%). Overall, our findings underscore WHM’s role in not only bolstering human wellbeing during adversity but also highlight opportunities for promoting environmentally sustainable behaviours by reconnecting people to nature. This dual benefit highlights potential for fostering human flourishing as well as environmental stewardship while reinforcing the need for carefully tailored public health strategies that engage with diverse perspectives to maximise both individual and societal resilience.
published_date 2025-03-26T06:00:44Z
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