Psycho-physiological responses of repeated exposure to natural and urban environmentsShow others and affiliations
2021 (English)In: Landscape and Urban Planning, ISSN 0169-2046, E-ISSN 1872-6062, Vol. 209, article id 104061Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Sustainable development
Sustainable Development
Abstract [en]
The ‘dose’ of nature required for health benefits, and whether repeat visits to the same environment consistently confer health benefits, is unclear. We sought to provide proof of concept for testing this. Data were collected on repeated visits to either a natural or pleasant urban environment from 41 adults on three days, and at one follow-up assessment. Participants completed baseline profiling, then attended; three repeated visits to either an urban (n = 17) or natural (n = 24) environment; and a 24-hour post-exposure final session. In each environment, participants undertook a 30-minute walk at a self-directed pace. Measures included mood, cognitive function, restorative experience and salivary cortisol. Walking in both environments conferred benefits for mood, with additional improvements in restorative experience observed from visiting the natural environment. There was no change in response to visits to the natural environment over time, suggesting benefits may be consistently realized.
Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Elsevier, 2021. Vol. 209, article id 104061
Keywords [en]
Nature, Stress, Heart-rate variability, Restoration
National Category
Occupational Health and Environmental Health
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:hj:diva-51947DOI: 10.1016/j.landurbplan.2021.104061ISI: 000624594900002Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-85100717113Local ID: ;intsam;1530667OAI: oai:DiVA.org:hj-51947DiVA, id: diva2:1530667
Funder
EU, FP7, Seventh Framework Programme, 2829962021-02-232021-02-232021-04-08Bibliographically approved