Why Is Nature Beneficial?
- 5 September 2008
- journal article
- research article
- Published by SAGE Publications in Environment and Behavior
- Vol. 41 (5), 607-643
- https://doi.org/10.1177/0013916508319745
Abstract
Three studies examine the effects of exposure to nature on positive affect and ability to reflect on a life problem. Participants spent 15 min walking in a natural setting (Studies 1, 2, & 3), an urban setting (Study 1), or watching videos of natural and urban settings (Studies 2 & 3). In all three studies, exposure to nature increased connectedness to nature, attentional capacity, positive emotions, and ability to reflect on a life problem; these effects are more dramatic for actual nature than for virtual nature. Mediational analyses indicate that the positive effects of exposure to nature are partially mediated by increases in connectedness to nature and are not mediated by increases in attentional capacity. The discussion focuses on the mechanisms that underlie the exposure to nature/well-being effects.This publication has 40 references indexed in Scilit:
- Green space, urbanity, and health: how strong is the relation?Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, 2006
- Lost in the Wilderness: Terror Management, Action Orientation, and Nature Evaluation.Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 2005
- Self-focused attention and negative affect: A meta-analysis.Psychological Bulletin, 2002
- Beyond toxicity: Human health and the natural environmentAmerican Journal of Preventive Medicine, 2001
- Virtual NatureEnvironment and Behavior, 1999
- The need to belong: Desire for interpersonal attachments as a fundamental human motivation.Psychological Bulletin, 1995
- THE VALUE BASIS OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNJournal of Social Issues, 1994
- Social Perspective Taking and Moral Judgment among College StudentsJournal of Adolescent Research, 1993
- The moderator–mediator variable distinction in social psychological research: Conceptual, strategic, and statistical considerations.Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 1986
- Effects of Sounds on Preferences for Outdoor SettingsEnvironment and Behavior, 1983