Aesthetic and Affective Response to Natural Environment
Abstract
Argues that evolutionary heritage underlies humans' consistent preference for stimuli from the natural environment and that research on affective and aesthetic responses is needed to understand human interaction with the environment. It is noted that the rapidly expanding empirical record concerning aesthetic and affective responses to natural environments is in need of a well-developed theoretical foundation. An integrated conceptual framework to address this theoretical lack, drawing on recent theory and research on emotion, is proposed. This framework explains how affects arise in the natural environment; postulates their functions; and links them to cognition, activity in physiological systems, and behavior. The present author, in developing the framework, questions the view that feelings result from cognitive processes, asserting that feelings (not thoughts) are the initial response in environmental encounters. The observer's initial feeling reaction shapes subsequent cognitive events. The relative sequence of feeling and thinking in environmental encounters represents a fundamental issue in understanding human interaction with the environment. (98 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
... Recent research also revealed a strong link between green spaces and both psychological and physiological health responses [22]. Roger Ulrich's Stress Recovery Theory posits that natural environments can rapidly enhance mood and facilitate the return of autonomic nervous system indicators to moderate arousal levels, thereby elucidating the mechanisms underlying swift psychological and physiological responses to natural stimuli [23,24]. Psychological health indicators, such as those provided by the profile of mood states (POMSs), encompass psychological restoration, stress relief, and the prevention of mental health decline [22,25,26]. ...
Chinese classical gardens serve as restorative environments that epitomize the essence of Chinese aesthetics. Despite their recognized Outstanding Universal Value, research on the multisensory experiences and associated well-being benefits they offer remains insufficiently explored. This study examines the Humble Administrator’s Garden through a multisensory framework incorporating visual, auditory, and tactile dimensions. By employing a mixed methods approach that integrates questionnaires and physiological measurements, we assessed the psychophysiological responses of 78 participants before and after entering the garden, as well as at distinct landscape points. Key findings reveal the following: (1) the traditional garden environment evoked significant positive perceptual effects; (2) the garden, with its diverse combination of landscape elements—including architecture, water features, rock formations, and plants—was strongly associated with enhanced well-being outcomes. A higher diversity of visual landscapes yielded more pronounced benefits, with water features exerting the most substantial positive influence on health, while rock formations showed a comparatively lesser effect; and (3) physiological and psychological responses of participants varied within the same landscape setting, with tactile experiences eliciting the most profound psychological changes. These findings underscore the pivotal role of multisensory engagement in Chinese classical gardens for fostering well-being, offering valuable health-related benefits beyond their cultural and ecological significance.
... The attention restoration theory (ART) by Kaplan and Kaplan 15 indicates that spending time in nature allows recovery from attentional fatigue and restores the capacity to direct attention 16 . The stress reduction theory (SRT) suggests that natural environments benefit psychophysiological stress recovery due to people's evolutionary connection to nature 17,18 . ...
Being outdoors benefits both humans’ physical and mental well-being, but the reasons for this connection are difficult to pinpoint. This study examines 40 recreational areas to understand their individual characteristics’ impact on mental well-being. We interviewed 1184 visitors on their perception of the place and feeling of mental well-being. In a second survey, 49 participants were shown images of the areas to assess whether they perceived them in the same way as people on-site did. Biologists then evaluated the areas through bird and biotope surveys, also assessing various other landscape characteristics of the study areas. Analysis using a two-level multivariate GLM revealed that perceived naturalness and perceived bird diversity are significant predictors of improved mental well-being. On the flip side, mental well-being declines with increased human impact, as indicated by the amount of infrastructure and the Human Footprint Index value. Notably, perceived naturalness positively correlates with actual bird diversity (p = 0.005) and negatively with human impact (p = 0.006). A strong perception of birds enhances the mental well-being of greenspace visitors (p < 0.001), while a high birding specialization negatively affects recalled restoration (p = 0.014). The estimated restoration value (p = 0.001) and estimated beauty (p < 0.001) from the online survey correlate positively with emotions experienced on-site. The perception of naturalness in images aligns with on-site perception, suggesting pathways for future research and the design of recreational areas.
... The acknowledgment of the agency of nature as the third active participant in the new language education theory was the most innovative. It started by recognizing nature-based places as places to restore attention and relieve stress, which are basic theories within environmental psychology (Kaplan, 1995;Ulrich, 1983). Shared attention, a basic need for young children to be able to learn new words and concepts is easier to establish in nature. ...
Playing in nature-based places supports early childhood development. In previous years, studies have shown the benefits of nature play for healthy child development, including language development. For early childhood teachers it is insightful to learn together how to develop language education in nature that is supportive of their student’s language development. The aim of this study is to investigate how early childhood education (ECE) teachers make nature-based places function as language learning environments in EC language education. The study took a collaborative action-based research approach and worked in communities of practice (CoP). In these communities, 55 teachers across five schools gathered six times. Based on the analysis of the shared conversations we defined the supportive aspects of nature-based places and related them to the expected outcomes of early childhood language education. We also described the professional changes they made to be able to teach language in nature. These changes were summarized in a model that informs early childhood teachers how to include the pedagogical and linguistic function of nature-based places to work towards the outcomes of EC language education.
1. Жизненный мир бывших горожан характеризуется устойчивой сопряженностью феноменов его смысловой структуры. Смысловая структура этого мира конституируется темами, среди которых ностальгия, аутентичность, суверенность, событийность окружающему миру наиболее значимы. Смысловые темы тесно взаимосвязаны, незначительная вариативность социально обусловлена. Интенциональность конституируемых смыслов может побуждать к переезду за город или поддерживать в избранном загородном образе жизни. Однако, ее психологическая значимость шире: она дает целостное внеконтекстуальное ощущение осмысленности жизни и непрерывности собственного Я.
2. В конституировании смысловой структуры жизненного мира бывших горожан особый семантический вес имеют ностальгические воспоминания, связанные с природой и загородной жизнью, которые становятся носителями опыта «бытия собой». Ностальгия способствуют переживанию подлинности собственного Я, возвращению состояния аутентичности, жизненного смысла.
3. Прототипичность смысловой структуры жизненного мира бывших горожан и феномен онтологической ностальгии (узнаваемость чужого опыта загородной жизни и связанности с природой как собственного, которая вызывает ностальгическое переживание) взаимосвязаны. Это делает возможным передачу результатов работы собственного переживания, связанного с загородной жизнью, другому человеку через актуализацию его ностальгических воспоминаний (как опыта бытия собой).
4. Содержание значимых ностальгических воспоминаний у приверженцев городской и загородной жизни различается. Экзистенциальная значимость ностальгического переживания, сопряженного с воспоминаниями о природе и загородной жизни коррелирует с готовностью следовать подлинному Я (аутентичной жизнью), что в контексте загородной жизни выражается как
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намерение и переехать жить за город или в сельскую местность и способность сохранять устойчивость в избранном образе жизни.
5. Тема природы и загородной жизни в содержании значимых ностальгических воспоминаний у приверженцев загородной жизни также коррелирует с показателями благоговения перед окружающим миром. В жизненном мире бывшего горожанина работа переживания направлена на поддержание связанности восприятия своего Я во времени, в том числе через эмоционально-образную включенность в феномены природы.
Ground murals have been applied in streetscapes to improve walkability, pedestrian safety, and social interaction. However, limited research explores how the design of murals enhances environmental qualities associated with restorative experiences in urban gray streetscapes. This study employed a 3 × 2 mixed design, with color (warm, cool, and achromatic) as a within-subjects factor and pattern (angular and curvilinear) as a between-subjects factor, to explore the effects of ground mural design features on subjective mood states, heart rate (HR), and perceived restorativeness (PR). Virtual reality (VR) was used to simulate a gray commercial street with high motorized traffic volumes in Darmstadt, Germany. Students (n = 83) from Darmstadt were separated into two pattern design groups and underwent a virtual walk through the scenario without murals, with each color condition in a reverse counterbalanced order. Pre- and post-mood states were assessed by mood statements, and PR was rated using an adjusted Perceived Restorativeness Scale (PRS). Changes in pre-post physiological arousal were measured using wearable sensors capturing HR change. Results revealed that color was a critical design factor for ground murals affecting restorative experiences. In an urban gray sidewalk setting, ground murals with cool and achromatic colors and curvilinear patterns significantly improved PR, while warm-colored murals increased energetic arousal and reduced relaxation. When comparing design conditions, cool colors were perceived as more relaxing than warm colors. Chromatic designs enhanced pleasure and energetic arousal compared to achromatic designs. No HR change difference was observed between conditions. This is the first study pairing street ground mural design features with physiological and psychological responses within a VR experimental context. It provides insights for cost-effective color and pattern urban design interventions that could support mental health and well-being.
Contemporary job postings increasingly rely on visual content to attract applicants through social media platforms, calling for scholarly attention to organizational aesthetics in recruitment. This study accordingly examines the signaling function of biophilic workspace design conveyed in job posts. We integrate theorizing on organizational aesthetics and biophilia with signaling theory to posit that biophilic job posts serve a dual signaling role as both a stimulus of signal attention by eliciting a visceral response and as a signaled source of credible information by evoking an evolutionary disposed cognitive interpretation. More specifically, we model pleasure and arousal as an indicator of stimulated attention, organizational attraction and the willingness to trade pay as evaluated responses to the signal, and attributions of communal organizational traits as an intervening interpretation of the signal—consistent with the role of symbolic attributes in prospective applicant evaluation of organizations. Three primary experiments largely support our predictions. Overall, this research extends the function of aesthetic signals to organizational signaling, validates organizational aesthetics as a stimulus of directed evaluation, and expands the scope of biophilic theory in organizational research. Findings also inform the practical question of whether biophilic job posts function as a non‐pecuniary differentiator in recruitment.
Günümüzde dünya nüfusu hızla yaşlanmaktadır. İnsanların sosyal ve ekonomik yapıdaki değişime bağlı olarak kentlerde yaşamaya başlaması, ilerleyen süreçte yaşlı nüfusun da kentlerde yoğunlaşmasına neden olmuştur. Bu süreçte yaşla birlikte yalnızlaşan nüfus kentlerde birçok zorlukla karşılaşmıştır. Bunlar, yaşlıların kentsel yaşamla bütünleşmelerini zorlaştırmış ve yaşlılar sahip oldukları bedensel ve fiziksel yetersizliklerle birlikte, kentsel hizmetlerin sunumuna ilişkin güçlüklerin de etkisiyle uyum süreçlerinde sıkıntılar yaşamaya başlamışlardır. Bu zorlukların çözümü için çeşitli politikalarla kentsel uyum süreçleri desteklenmeye çalışılmışsa da bu sürecin öncelikle düşünsel bir dönüşümü gerektirmesi ve sürecin uzun soluklu bir çalışma olmasından dolayı kentsel uyum politikalarının desteklenerek geliştirilmesi gerektiği ortaya çıkmıştır. Bu çalışma yaşlı nüfus özelinde kentsel uyumun desteklenmesine ilişkin süreçleri incelemektedir. Çalışmada politika yapım süreçlerinde yaşlılık dönemi zorluklarının bir bütün olarak ele alınması gerektiği değerlendirilerek yaşlıların kente uyumuna yönelik öneriler geliştirilmeye çalışılmıştır. ABSTRACT Today, the world's population is getting older rapidly. The fact that people started to live in cities due to the change in the social and economic structure caused the elderly population to concentrate in cities in the future. In this process, the population that became lonely with age has faced many problems in cities. These problems have made it difficult for the elderly to integrate with urban life, and the elderly began to experience problems in the process of harmony with their physical and physical inadequacies, as well as the difficulties related to the provision of urban services. Although urban adaptation processes have been tried to be supported by various policies in order to solve these problems, it has emerged that this process first requires an intellectual transformation and the process is a long-term study and urban adaptation policies should be developed and developed. This study examines the processes of supporting urban harmony in the elderly population. In the study, the policy-making processes should be considered as a whole and suggestions for the adaptation of the elderly to the city were evaluated.
Following upon the first two volumes in this series, which dealt with a broad spectrum of topics in the environment and behavior field, ranging from theoretical to applied, and including disciplinary, interdisciplinary, and professionally oriented approaches, we have chosen to devote sub sequent volumes to more specifically defined topics. Thus, Volume Three dealt with Children and the Environment, seen from the combined perspective of researchers in environmental and developmental psy chology. The present volume has a similarly topical coverage, dealing with the complex set of relationships between culture and the physical environment. It is broad and necessarily eclectic with respect to content, theory, methodology, and epistemological stance, and the contributors to it represent a wide variety of fields and disciplines, including psy chology, geography, anthropology, economics, and environmental de sign. We were fortunate to enlist the collaboration of Amos Rapoport in the organization and editing of this volume, as he brings to this task a particularly pertinent perspective that combines anthropology and ar chitecture. Volume Five of the series, presently in preparation, will cover the subject of behavioral science aspects of transportation. Irwin Altman Joachim F. Wohlwill ix Contents Introduction 1 CHAPTER 1 CROSS-CULTURAL ASPECTS OF ENVIRONMENTAL DESIGN AMOS RAPOPORT Introduction 7 Culture. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Environmental Design 10 The Relationship of Culture and Environmental Design . . . . . . . . . 15 The Variability of Culture-Environment Relations 19 Culture-Specific Environments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Designing for Culture. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Implications for the Future . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 CHAPTER 2 CROSS-CULTURAL RESEARCH METHODS: STRATEGIES, PROBLEMS, ApPLICATIONS RICHARD W.
Widespread concern has been expressed over the inadequacy of purely objective, physical measures of environmental quality. To enhance the habitability of our planet we need to consider cultural as well as physical and biological components of the complex environment that influence the lives of individuals and communities (Thomas, 1972). In man’s relation to the biosphere, we must deal with a “real” world that does not have the same objective reality for all observers; we must deal with a subjectively perceived environment (UNESCO, 1973). An individual’s view of the world, influenced as it is by his own perception and learning, differs from the view held by scientific experts, yet the concept of the world-as-perceived has considerable value in humanizing the quantitative, objective approach to managing our environment (Lowenthal, 1961). Those responsible for formulating policies, and any expert group, should become aware of their own perceptual and conceptual bias by comparing it with the views of those whose lives are affected by the policies (UNESCO, 1973). Moreover, observer-based evaluations of environmental quality should be considered at the outset along with physical measures so that we do not develop imperfect standards that abstract only the physical, purely objective components of environmental quality (Craik & McKechnie, 1974).
This paper discusses a series of presuppositions that have traditionally directed research in environment and experience. It describes, alternatively, a methodology based on different assumptions that will enable the researcher to avoid the biases and conclusions these presuppositions necessitate, and relates a series of studies that display the salient elements of environmental experience. The results of these studies have suggested a number of characteristics of environmental experience and specific modes of experiencing the environment. The fundamental tenet is that environmental experience is that continuing product of an active endeavor by an individual to create for himself a situation within which he can optimally function and achieve his own particular pattern of satisfaction. Finally, it is concluded that no single mode or combination of modes of environmental experience represent a “true” view of the environment, and that as scientists we should emulate the individual and develop a view of the environment that will optimally enable us to carry out our goals both as students and as concerned human beings.
A landscape preference study, originally conducted in the United States, was replicated in Scotland. Ranked preference values for black and white photographs of natural landscapes were very similar for the two studies. Therefore the landscape preference equation, developed from data in the initial study, would have predicted quite accurately the landscape preferences of people in Scotland. Study results strengthen the predictability and versatility of the initial equation.