Biophilia
... Studies have shown that the design of physical space affects the way a person interacts with their surroundings. Many theories discuss the relationship between different spaces and human interactions [10][11][12][13][14][15]. Literature has shown that co-working spaces improve not only human interactions [16], but other aspects as well, such as employees' well-being [17], productivity [5], and knowledge sharing [18]. ...
... Yet, they also learn in libraries, cafés, bedrooms, and student lounges. These different settings affect the way students interact with their surroundings, which are supported by theories discussing human interactions in physical spaces, such as Proxemics, Affordance Theory, Biophilia, Space Syntax and Interaction Space [10][11][12][13][14][15]. However, it is essential to note a research gap here: These theories mainly discuss the interactions between humans and the things surrounding them, with very few discussions of interactions between humans and other humans. ...
Education spaces are an important factor in maximising students' learning experience. Tertiary education institutions in Malaysia could benefit from co-working spaces as informal learning spaces to improve student interactions, well-being, productivity, and knowledge. This paper aims to establish a framework for developing co-working spaces in tertiary education institutions, particularly in Malaysian institutions. This research undertakes a review of journal articles, reports, and other documents gathered from the Google Scholar database concerning two main areas: firstly, co-working spaces, and secondly, education institutions. The data was analysed using VOSviewer software for specific keywords; 'education institution', 'university', 'student', and 'library'. The review brings forth important attributes when developing co-working spaces in tertiary education institutions. The findings can tremendously help education institutions apply the concept of co-working spaces to enhance learning environments for students' holistic development
As urban critic Jane Jacobs conceived, a city is essentially the problem of organized complexity. What underlies the complexity refers to a structural factor, called living structure, which is defined as a mathematical structure composed of hierarchically organized substructures. Through these substructures, the complexity of cities, or equivalent to the livingness of urban space (L), can be measured by the multiplication the number of cities or substructures (S) and their scaling hierarchy (H), indicating that complexity is about both quantity of cities and how well the city is organized hierarchically. In other words, complexity emerges from a hierarchical structure where there are far more small cities or substructures than large ones across all scales, and cities are more or less similar within each individual hierarchy. In this paper, we conduct comprehensive case studies to investigate urban complexity on a global scale using multisource geospatial data. We develop an efficient approach to recursively identifying all natural cities with their inner hotspots worldwide through connected component analysis. To characterize urban complexity, urban space is initially represented as a hierarchy of recursively defined natural cities, and all the cities are then represented as a network for measuring the degree of complexity or livingness of the urban space. The results show the Earth’s surface is growing more complex from an economic perspective, and the dynamics of urban complexity are more explicit from nighttime light imagery than from population data. We further discuss the implications in city science, aiming to help create and recreate urban environments that are more resilient and livable by fostering organized complexity from the perspective of living structure.
Diagnosis of PTSD. Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) refers to long running disturbances in emotion, cognition, and behavior owing to having encountered frightening, disruptive, and often life-threatening experiences. These traumatic experiences are relived in such a way that the past, even a past that took place decades ago, is ever present. Common fear reactions often abate within brief periods of time. In contrast, PTSD is enduring and can sometimes last for as long as one lives. It is dysregulating across a wide variety of domains of functioning. PTSD can cause extreme fear reactions to common stressors; it can cause disruptions in one's memory and thinking process; it can cause startle reactions and sympathetic nervous system over-activation; can negatively alter one's mood; diminish one's sense of self; cause sleeplessness and nightmares, disrupt relationships, and cause an enduring distrust of the environment. To help in developing a perspective on PTSD, it is important to note that most people who encounter traumatic events do not develop PTSD.
Aims
Although it has been hypothesized that air pollution, particularly PM 2.5 and PM 10 , causes depressed symptoms, their interactions with greenness have not yet been confirmed. This study examined the association between depression symptoms and air pollution, as well as the potential moderating effects of greenness.
Methods
A total of 7657 people from all around South Korea were examined using information from the Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging, for the years 2016, 2018 and 2020. Depressive symptoms were assessed using the CES-D 10 score (Center for Epidemiology Studies of Depression scale, Boston form), and annual air pollution levels (PM 2.5 , PM 10 ) and greenness (NDVI, Landsat Normalized Difference Vegetation Index) at the district level (si-gun-gu) were considered for the association analysis. The investigation was primarily concerned with determining how the CES-D 10 score changed for each 10 increase in PM 2.5 and PM 10 according to NDVI quantiles, respectively. The analysis used generalized estimating equation models that were adjusted with both minimal and complete variables. Subgroup analyses were conducted based on age groups (<65, ≥65 years old), sex and exercise status.
Results
The impact of PM 10 on depression in the fourth quantile of NDVI was substantially less in the fully adjusted linear mixed model (OR for depression with a 10 increment of PM 10 : 1.29, 95% CI: 1.06, 1.58) than in the first quantile (OR: 1.88, 95% CI: 1.58, 2.25). In a similar vein, the effect of PM 2.5 on depression was considerably reduced in the fourth quantile of NDVI (OR for depression with a 10 increment of PM 2.5 : 1.78, 95% CI: 1.30, 2.44) compared to the first (OR: 3.75, 95% CI: 2.75, 5.10). Subgroup analysis results demonstrated beneficial effects of greenness in the relationship between particulate matter and depression.
Conclusions
This longitudinal panel study found that a higher quantile of NDVI was associated with a significantly reduced influence of air pollution (PM 10 , PM 2.5 ) on depression among older individuals in South Korea.
Áreas verdes com elementos da natureza nas escolas têm gradualmente perdido espaço para outras construções nas escolas brasileiras. Essa ausência é uma realidade incômoda social e ambientalmente, uma vez que o convívio com a natureza é altamente restaurador e promotor de aprendizagens. O distanciamento da natureza tem impedido crianças e adolescentes de formarem graus elevados de biofilia, que é um elemento importante no desenvolvimento psicossocial. Embora as diretrizes curriculares expressem a necessidade de maior inserção da natureza, pouco se sabe se as escolas efetivamente adotam tais medidas. Este estudo investigou a presença de natureza no espaço físico de escolas públicas de ensino fundamental de Manaus (AM). A partir da técnica de mapeamento espacial, constatou-se que as sete escolas participantes possuem baixa presença de natureza em seu ambiente. Este estudo contribui para reflexões sobre a qualidade do ambiente escolar e os valores voltados à natureza como elemento estimulante cognitivo e afetivamente.
Biophilic design (BD) is defined as a design approach that promotes human-nature connectedness (HNC) in the built environment (BE), resulting in a significant impact on human health, well-being, and productivity, in addition to several economic, social, and environmental benefits. This study presents a critical analysis of the most important proposed frameworks and strategies for the application of BD from 2008 to 2022 to identify points of confusion and weaknesses and try to avoid them. The study concluded by presenting a Four-Component Framework as a new architectural translation that seeks to facilitate the application of BD in the design of the BE to achieve the benefits of HNC. The proposed framework focuses on separating the elements of nature from the methods in which these elements are used, from the desired experiences from the BD's intended goals. As a result of this separation, architects and designers may find that by applying this framework, the application of BD becomes easier, more tangible, and unambiguous.
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and substance use disorders (SUDs) frequently co-occur, and individuals with co-occurring PTSD and SUD often experience more complex treatment challenges and poorer outcomes compared to those with either condition alone. Integrative treatment approaches that simultaneously address both PTSD and SUD are considered the most effective and include both pharmacological and non-pharmacological strategies. In recent years, complementary interventions have garnered increased attention due to their broad appeal and potential therapeutic benefits in enhancing existing treatments for PTSD and SUD. This review explores the existing literature on the use of nature-based activities, such as hiking, camping, sailing, and surfing in treating individuals with co-occurring PTSD and SUD. Nature-based activities offer promising adjunctive benefits, including the reduction of PTSD symptoms and craving levels. While evidence supports the therapeutic value of nature-based activities, current research remains limited. Further research is needed to better understand their therapeutic role and to refine their implementation in clinical practice.
Ever-growing cities constantly increase the distance between suburban regions and semi-urban areas on the perimeter of the cities, where traditional crop production can take place with relatively fewer restrictions. The implementation of ultra-short supply chains implies moving the means of crop production as close to inhabitants as possible. Two main directions can be identified as effective for increasing the food resilience of densely populated suburban areas; these are soil-based traditional urban agriculture and high-tech plant factories. Both approaches to crop production offer a certain level of integration with the built environment; however, these alternatives differ in terms of their contributions to environment modulation, agrobiodiversity, social well-being, and food resilience. Vertical farms can produce a high amount of nutritionally rich crops for direct use, although the involvement of inhabitants is minimal; therefore, they can be considered a service function without social advantages. Open-field plant production can contribute to the well-being of locals, but the yields are considered rather supplementary. The combination of both production approaches to strengthen common advantages is less likely; automated production technologies require a low number of highly qualified personnel; therefore, community plant factories cannot be considered possible contributors to urban social well-being in the future.
Nature documentaries are among the most popular media formats but are understudied in communication research. However, due to the format’s multifaceted potential to simultaneously inform, entertain, and persuade, nature documentaries seem particularly worthy of investigation. The present contribution has two aims: (1) to explain how nature documentaries facilitate entertainment responses in their viewers and (2) to investigate how entertainment experiences resulting from watching nature documentaries are linked with viewers’ pro-environmental behavior intentions and travel intentions. To establish a firm theoretical base, we integrated conceptual foundations from entertainment research and environmental psychology. To test our hypotheses, we analyzed data from two preregistered experiments: a paper-pencil study (N = 179) and an online study that aimed to replicate the findings of our first study (N = 308). Our findings provide initial evidence for the dual (i.e. hedonic and eudaimonic) entertainment qualities of nature documentaries and the mediating roles of suspense and awe. Furthermore, the results suggest that viewers’ hedonic entertainment experience is a relevant underpinning of their intention to travel to the depicted destination, whereas their eudaimonic experience inspires them to take action to protect the environment.
Rapid urbanization has significantly altered landscape environments in both urban and rural regions, and these landscapes have been demonstrated to play a pivotal role in human well-being. This study develops a coherent framework that integrates landscape change, landscape ecological indicators, and landscape preferences within the context of the evolving landscape environments of rural communities in Taiwan. Four distinct types of rural communities were selected, and a quantitative methodology was employed to investigate the variations and transformations in landscape preferences among rural residents in the context of landscape change. A qualitative methodology was employed to investigate the relationship between landscape ecological indicators and landscape preferences. The study’s findings indicate significant temporal variations in residents’ landscape preferences, with landscape beauty, stewardship, and coherence emerging as key determinants in the evaluation of these preferences. Landscape ecological indicators were found to be significantly correlated with variables such as landscape complexity, landscape beauty, openness, naturalness, and comprehensive landscape assessment. The findings of this study indicate that design planners, land managers, and public sector organizations can employ multidimensional thinking in the management of rural landscapes to align with the visual aesthetic preferences of rural residents.
According to the biophilia hypothesis, humans have a fundamental tendency to affiliate with nature. If this hypothesis is true, large majorities of people should express a high level of nature-friendliness (a tendency to affiliate with nature), and this level should have low variability across cultures. We tested this proposition using the interculturally applicable Human and Nature (HaN) scale. We compare the outcomes from 12 previously published studies that applied the HaN scale on four continents and show that a high level of nature-friendliness was indeed detected in all countries. We also demonstrate that the cross-cultural variability of the nature-friendliness levels was as small as their within-culture variability. Jointly then, these 12 studies offer strong support for the biophilia hypothesis. We share implications that are valuable for policymaking as well as further theoretical development of human–nature relationship research, particularly around relational values with nature and ecological virtue ethics.
Promoting children’s and adolescents’ mental, physical, and social wellbeing is highly important to help them learn, create social connections, and stay healthy. Nature has the potential to restore cognition, reduce stress and mental fatigue, and improve wellbeing, all factors that are conducive to learning. There is growing interest in understanding the effects of nature on the wellbeing of children and adolescents, particularly in the school context. This paper presents a PRISMA-guided systematic review of the literature examining the effects of school-led nature interventions on the mental, physical, and social wellbeing of school children and adolescents aged 5 to 19 years. Examples of school-led nature interventions include outdoor learning, walks in nature and green schoolyards. Experimental and quasi-experimental studies employing quantitative measures were selected, yielding 19 studies from 17 papers. Included studies were rated as being of high (n = 6) and moderate quality (n = 13). The results provide some evidence that nature exposure in the school context can improve the wellbeing of children and adolescents, particularly their positive affect, physical activity, and social relationships/interactions. The wellbeing effects of school-led nature interventions were also examined according to age and gender, with results indicating a gender effect, but inconclusive findings for age. Findings from this review support the integration of nature in schools to enhance the mental, physical and social wellbeing of children and adolescents.
Coupled human and natural systems (CHANS) represent dialectic interaction between human and nature subsystems. This dynamic interaction involves a prominent level of complexity stemming from the uncertain interrelation between the systems and the incorporated subsystems. The complexity within CHANS includes reciprocal effects, nonlinearity, uncertainties, and heterogeneity. Although many researchers have highlighted the significance of understanding the nature of the coupling effect, most of the prevailing literature emphasises either human or natural systems separately, while considering the other as exogenous, despite evaluating the reciprocal and complex interrelations. The current review utilises the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA). It focuses on synthesising the prevailing literature on the CHANS framework in several disciplines, focusing on the approach, findings, limitations, and implications. The review comprises 56 relevant articles, found through Endnote and Covidence database searches. The findings identify the dominant complexity character as reciprocal effects and feedback loops, confirming the complex interactions between human and natural systems. Furthermore, the review provides evidence surrounding the significance of developing an analytical framework that can better explain the complex connections between humans and nature, as it provides a comprehensive understanding of CHANS and their potential impacts.
The crisis of civilization we are experiencing unbalances the inter-relational, interdependency and intergenerational relationships of the planetary ecosystem, putting all species at risk. The current relationship between the unlimited economic development model and its social impacts in all regions, territories and communities is analyzed. These are more severe in the global South and the most impoverished populations, which often leads to conflicts, the deterioration of subsystems of life, and, as a result, movements of people. These challenges highlight the close interrelationship between social justice and issues of ecological injustice acting as a new source of inequality. The responsibility of social work, which is called on to incorporate the ecosocial perspective in all its areas and dimensions of practice, is becoming consolidated. To achieve this, five measures are proposed: expanding and strengthening the ethical and political basis of the profession; promoting the skilling-emancipatory models; cutting across all levels, methodologies and action areas; new fields of practice for ecosocial work; and introduction into social work curriculums. Social justice cannot be fully achieved without taking ecological justice into account.
This last substantive chapter develops, deepens and extends the critical perspectives in Part III by extrapolating the principles specified in the previous chapter to the long-term and global scale. This significantly re-spatialises flow by insisting that flow is increasingly becoming instrumentalised not only with respect to individual performance and wellbeing, but also with respect to wholesale hegemonic agendas that threaten to undermine the positive psychological foundations of flow by weaponising flow in the service of economically and politically motivated objectives. I first explore the Janus-faced nature of flow as being simultaneously a steppingstone toward twin goals of individual wellbeing and planetary sustainability, and ripe for co-option into broader structures of power that reinforce rather than reset current hegemonic interests and inequalities. Subsequently, this is elaborated through ecotourism initiatives that are discursively targeted towards sustainability outcomes, but which conscript flow into the perpetuation of neocolonial power asymmetries through international development agendas. Hence, the commodification of both flow and Nature are framed as twin neoliberal accumulation strategies and the need for flow research to be informed by an explicitly critical moral geographical understanding is proposed, with implications for all flow researchers and practitioners.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) has rapidly become a widespread design aid through the recent proliferation of generative AI tools. In this work we use generative AI to explore soft robotics designs, specifically Soft Biomorphism, an aesthetic design paradigm emphasizing the inherent biomorphic qualities of soft robots to leverage them as affordances for interactions with humans. The work comprises two experiments aimed at uncovering how generative AI can articulate and expand the design space of soft biomorphic robotics using text-to-image (TTI) and image-to-image (ITI) generation techniques. Through TTI generation, Experiment 1 uncovered alternative interpretations of soft biomorphism, emphasizing the novel incorporation of, e.g., fur, which adds a new dimension to the material aesthetics of soft robotics. In Experiment 2, TTI and ITI generation were combined and a category of hybrid techno-organic robot designs discovered, which combined rigid and pliable materials. The work thus demonstrates in practice the specific ways in which AI image generation can contribute towards expanding the design space of soft robotics.
Background/Objectives: Positive symptoms, negative symptoms, and emotional disturbances are core features of schizophrenia. Although horticultural therapy (HT) has shown promise as an adjunctive treatment, evidence supporting its effectiveness remains limited. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to assess the impact of HT on total symptoms, positive symptoms, negative symptoms, and emotional disturbances in individuals with schizophrenia. Methods: We conducted a search for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) published up to March 2024 across multiple databases, including PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, CINAHL, CEPS, CNKI, Wanfang, and Yiigle. A random-effects model was employed to calculate the standardized mean difference (SMD). Results: A total of 35 studies enrolling 2899 participants were included. Our results indicated that, in the short term (≦3 months), HT has moderate to large effect sizes on total symptoms (SMD = 0.690, 95% CI 0.463 to 0.916), positive symptoms (SMD = 0.695, 95% CI 0.038 to 1.351), negative symptoms (SMD = 0.681, 95% CI 0.395 to 0.967), depression (SMD = 0.646, 95% CI 0.334 to 0.959), and anxiety (SMD = 0.627, 95% CI 0.364 to 0.890), with more pronounced benefits for anxiety symptoms in patients with a shorter duration of illness. In the long term (>3 months), HT shows large effect sizes for total symptoms (SMD = 1.393, 95% CI 0.858 to 1.928), negative symptoms (SMD = 1.389, 95% CI 0.935 to 1.842), anxiety (SMD = 1.541, 95% CI 1.042 to 2.040), and moderate to large effect sizes for positive symptoms (SMD = 0.667, 95% CI 0.077 to 1.258) and depression (SMD = 0.707, 95% CI 0.198 to 1.217). Additionally, longer weekly treatment durations are associated with better outcomes for total symptoms and negative symptoms. Schizophrenia patients with more severe initial symptoms may be potential responders to HT. Conclusions: These findings support the efficacy of HT in improving symptoms and emotional well-being in schizophrenia patients. Further trials with more rigorous designs are warranted to confirm these benefits.
This systematic scoping review examined the potential impact of incorporating biophilic elements into the design of classroom environments conducive to supporting the needs of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This review includes 17 articles which examine the impact of bringing natural elements into classroom design, such as tactile, visual, and auditory elements, as well as concepts and patterns found in nature. Through this review, potential enhancements for improving the physical and mental well-being of children with ASD are discussed. The findings of this review suggest that implementing biophilia into indoor space design is an increasingly worthwhile venture for urban institutions and people who have sedentary lifestyles. Recommendations include the inclusion of natural patterns, water elements, natural sounds, and daylight.
Os Parques Estaduais bem como os Nacionais têm entre seus objetivos o desafio de sensibilizar os visitantes por meio do desenvolvimento de atividades de educação e interpretação ambiental. Entretanto, para obter sucesso nesse propósito é necessário conhecer o perfil das pessoas que o visitam. Nessa perspectiva, conduzimos uma pesquisa a campo para identificar o perfil do visitante do Parque Estadual do Turvo no período de 2018 a 2019, bem como analisar as motivações e expectativas do turista ao percorrer o território da unidade de conservação. Para tal, aplicamos um questionário em 144 visitantes para avaliar a percepção dos visitantes na chegada (antes da visita) e na saída (após a visita). Os resultados permitem crer que a gestão do uso público no período avaliado não alcançou o “environmental friendly” pretendido. Para tal, o Parque Estadual do Turvo deve investir em diferentes formas interpretativas sobre a biodiversidade e, especialmente, sobre o ecossistema da onça-pintada, de forma a envolver e sensibilizar os visitantes quanto à importância das áreas protegidas, bem como quanto à conservação da natureza.
Music performed in natural spaces (i.e., wilderness) using digital technologies and/or acoustic instruments has proliferated within the artistic communities. But performing music in a wilderness space raises two interesting problems. Firstly, we need to embrace nature as an object or a subject. While it seems that many contemporary discourses are based on the idea that humans and nature are one and the same, we are faced with other discourses that appeal to a change in our collective way of life to attenuate human’s impact on the environment, thus, separating ourselves from nature. Secondly, nature and music don’t seem to relate in any fundamental way although the theme of nature has a long tradition in music as an inspiration, as a scenario, and, more recently, as source of digital data (e.g., biosensors) and as an interface (e.g., plants).
Musicking means to take part in a musical performance, embracing the multiplicity of the experience, thus, establishing a large set of relationships with the surrounding space. But musicking in the wilderness is sinuous because nature is silent and blind about us, therefore, blurring the formation of an intersubjective relationship and, consequently, an ontological channel for otherness. Otherness represents the possibility of listening to the Music of the other, to misalign our intuitions, to connect with others but also to acknowledge the feeling of togetherness. Otherness might be a precondition for togetherness. Togetherness, here understood as the transcending musical experience of becoming a voice in the wilderness and not merely an instrument playing music in the wild, might be the state of mind which allows my accumulated and stable intuitions about Music to be shaken and, afterwards, rubbed against the conscious traces left over from such a musical experience.
O contato com os ambientes naturais é essencial para a constituição da Conexão com a Natureza (CN), um apego subjetivo à natureza, que por sua vez é fonte de benefícios para a saúde integral dos humanos. O tipo e a frequência de contato com ambientes naturais podem variar por diversos motivos. No âmbito laboral, a escolha da formação profissional pode se constituir em um indicativo de Conexão com a Natureza (CN). Para compreender a possível associação da formação acadêmica e níveis de CN, este estudo envolveu profissionais de várias áreas. Os 295 participantes responderam a um questionário virtual com dados sociodemográficos e escalas de CN. Nos dois estudos conduzidos confirma-se que a área de graduação e de pós-graduação dos profissionais são fatores que afetam a CN dos adultos, juntamente com um histórico de convívio positivo com a natureza tido na infância. Os resultados confirmam ainda que profissionais das áreas ambientais possuem níveis de CN maiores do que os de humanidades.
Background
With the increasing global aging population, the health and welfare of elderly individuals, especially individuals with prevalent mild cognitive impairment (MCI) living in nursing homes, have become critical concerns. These concerns highlight the urgency of developing effective interventions to address the cognitive and psychological needs of elderly individuals, ensuring their well-being and alleviating the burden on their caregivers.
Objective
This study investigates the impact of wooden toy training on mitigating cognitive decline in elderly individuals with cognitive impairment. It evaluates how this training influences cognitive functions and psychological well-being, exploring whether it can slow or reverse the progression of cognitive decline. This outcome will be assessed in a randomized controlled trial, in which changes in cognitive ability and psychological health indicators among the participants will be measured.
Design
A two-arm, open-label, cluster-randomized controlled trial.
Setting(s)
The study was conducted in two nursing homes, which served as both the recruitment sites for participants and the intervention locations. These nursing homes were selected for their ability to facilitate the intervention and for their representative demographic characteristics of the elderly population. The settings provided a controlled environment that was conducive to implementing the wooden toy training program and observing its effects on the participants.
Participants
A total of 76 elderly participants with mild cognitive impairment but functional independence were recruited.
Methods
Participants were randomized into an intervention group and a control group. The intervention group engaged in an 8-week wooden toy training program, whereas those in the control cohort received customary nursing care. Standardized cognitive and psychological well-being measures were used to assess improvements in cognitive performance and mental health.
Results
Significant improvements were observed in the cognitive functions of the intervention group from a baseline score of M = 13.11 to M = 16.29 postintervention (95% CI [-4.44, -1.93]), along with reductions in depressive symptoms from a baseline score of M = 8.63 to M = 7.18 (95% CI [0.38, 2.51]). Additionally, engagement in activities with wooden toys significantly satisfied their need for competence, increasing from a baseline of M = 16.29 to M = 20 postintervention (95% CI [-5.92, -1.51]), and relatedness, which improved from a baseline of M = 20.32 to M = 22.95 (95% CI [-4.73, -0.53]).
Conclusions
This study underscores the potential of a wooden toy intervention in nursing homes that combines cognitive challenges with traditional cultural elements to improve cognitive functions in elderly individuals with mild cognitive impairment. Our findings suggest a novel method of promoting the cognitive and psychological health of nursing home residents through emotional comfort and social interaction.
A set of six motive constructs emerged from a review of a half-century of research purporting to determine the motives that guide tourists’ pleasure decisions: curiosity, boredom alleviation, disinhibited play, biophilia, reinforcement of bonds with intimate groups, and ego-enhancement. Frequently, emotions, outcomes, reasons, personalities, and/or actions were confusingly mischaracterized as motives. The theoretical/conceptual physiological and psychological underpinning of each motive construct are described, together with the diagnostic antecedent behaviors that infer a motive is in a state of disequilibrium, and the restorative behaviors in which tourists engage to restore equilibrium. Directions for future research are suggested.
The world is currently grappling with several public health issues (like the increase in urbanization, chronic diseases and social isolation). Increased connection with nature has been identified as a possible solution to many of these concerns. This perspective paper draws on recent empirical evidence around the health and wellbeing benefits of nature. To highlight these benefits I will draw on insights from my own research focused on Indigenous people’s connection to land (known as Country in Australia) and gardening as a mechanism for engaging people in nature. This will be applied to support the notion that nature is critical infrastructure that has significant potential to improve public health outcomes. In doing this it must be acknowledged that these are only a few aspects of the relationship between nature and health based on my own expertise and paradigms developed from my research. I will conclude this perspective essay by providing five overarching recommendations to mainstream the evidence substantiating the health and wellbeing benefits of nature into policy and practice.
Research background: Scientific evidence has shown the impact of environmental degradation on human well-being, demanding that political and economic decision-makers address the challenge of reversing this process. In this context, the economic education provided to future policymakers and business managers is crucial, because it can accelerate or impede the transition towards sustainability. What is taught in university economic courses, particularly introductory ones, shapes the ideas and the worldview of economic agents, influencing the decisions they will take in their professional activities. Purpose of the article: The main objective of this paper is to determine how sustainability is addressed in introductory economics courses, where the foundations of the discipline are laid. Specifically, the goal is to uncover what ideas are conveyed about sustainability in these courses, how they are taught, and whether there have been any changes in the last decades. Methods: Text Mining and Reflexive Thematic Analysis are applied to examine data from university syllabi and the most commonly used economic textbooks through the lens of a deconstruction of the complex concept of sustainability. Findings & value added: The main contribution of this paper is a proposal for a deconstruction of the complex concept of sustainability that guides the empirical analysis. The results reveal that sustainability is practically absent from introductory economics courses; notably, no progress has been made on ethical issues or in addressing the impact of nature and environmental degradation on human well-being. Moreover, certain conceptions and models that work against the understanding of sustainability are conveyed in the most used textbooks. Although the role of economics discipline in understanding sustainability and in designing and implementing policies for an equitable sustainable transition is key, the teaching of economics offers resistance to change, remaining part of the problem of unsustainability. The integration of sustainability into the university economic courses still represents a major challenge with implications for future decision-makers.
Mental health is a significant public concern. Given that individuals spend extended periods indoors, understanding the psychophysiological health effects of indoor materials on well-being is crucial. This study compared the effects of wooden and resin plaster rooms on psychophysiological well-being. Well-being was assessed using heart rate variability measurements and an affective well-being questionnaire. Subjective perceptions were also evaluated using a semantic differential questionnaire. The results indicated higher heart rate variability in the wooden room compared to the reference room. Participants breathed about one breath per minute more slowly in the wooden room, with a negative correlation between heart rate variability and respiratory rate. Positive affect was elevated, and negative affect was reduced in the wooden room, which was also perceived more favorably in sensory evaluations. The findings suggest that wooden interiors are preferred over artificial materials, enhancing both physiological and psychological well-being.
Nature connectedness refers to the emotional and cognitive bond of an individual with nature, a concept widely studied due to its benefits for the well-being of people. However, there is a tendency to ignore the aversive elements of nature. Therefore, the purpose of this research is to study the role of these elements with respect to connectedness. The first study conducted ( N = 160) found that different types of aversive elements have a different impact on people. This impact is not related to connectedness, since people usually focus only on the positive elements of nature when reporting on their connectedness. The second study ( N = 143) provides evidence that people consider the positive elements of nature as being more representative. Therefore, it is important to take nature into account in a global way, considering not only its positive aspects but also the negative ones, when studying nature connectedness.
Humans may have an innate need to affiliate with nature; this need has been termed biophilia. Humanising nature may connect to biophilia. An experimental design with 167 participants tested the hypothesis that a humanised description of the functioning of trees that focused on similarities between tree and human functioning would have a greater impact than a description of purely biological functions of trees. Participants randomly assigned to the humanising nature condition had higher mean scores for positive affect and empathy related to the target aspect of nature as well as greater pro‐environmental intention. A MANOVA showed that the humanising nature condition had a significantly greater overall impact than the control condition. Positive affect and empathy were significantly different between groups. A serial mediation analysis found that positive affect and empathy connected the intervention with pro‐environmental intention. Humanising nature holds promise as an approach to meeting biophilia needs. The findings may be globally relevant to the interaction of humans with nature.
This contribution explores the topic of window view preference using text-to-image generative AI tools and ChatGPT's large language model (LLM). It begins by framing the concept of visual preference within the fields of envi-ronmental psychology and urban studies. The study then employs generative AI tools to create a dataset of 9000 pictures and 3000 textual prompts. The datasets, which focus on the duality of pleasant and unpleasant visual condi-tions in a residential context, have been subsequently analysed to identify recurrent patterns and trends. The analysis results revealed a stark preference within the queried AI tools to associate pleasant visual conditions with natu-ral motifs, while associating unpleasant visual conditions with urban motifs. These observations may seem to align with the principles of biophilic design. The overall study was conducted to probe the potential biases of commonly used AI tools in generating residential scenarios. It is possible that studies on visual preference biases within AI models will become a relevant subject soon. Any shortcomings of AI platforms in handling such topics could sig-nificantly impact physical construction, especially as these tools are going to be used more frequently within real world applications.
Bu çalışma, Brügger, Kaiser ve Roczen (2011) tarafından geliştirilen “Doğaya Bağlılık Eğilimi” Ölçeğinin Türkçe’ye uyarlanmasıdır. Ölçme aracının dilsel eşdeğerlik, ölçüt geçerliği ve yapı geçerliği analizleri yapılmıştır. Ölçek farklı çalışma gruplarıyla yetişkinlerden oluşan örneklemlere uygulanmıştır. Ölçeğin yapı geçerliğine yönelik kanıt aramak için açımlayıcı ve doğrulayıcı faktör analizi kullanılmıştır. Açımlayıcı faktör analizi sonuçları ölçeğin üç farklı boyut oluşturduğunu göstermiştir. Doğrulayıcı faktör analizi sonucunda ise bu üç boyutun ilişkili olduğu ve ikincil düzey faktör yapısının veriyle uyumlu olduğu bulunmuştur. Bu boyutlar doğaya bağlılık ve davranışsal sıklık, doğaya bağlılık ve öz değerlendirme ile doğaya bağlılık ve tercihler boyutlarıdır. Ölçeğin güvenirlik analizi sonucunda Cronbach alfa katsayısı .91 olduğu bulunmuştur. Sonuçlar, Doğaya Bağlılık Eğilimi Ölçeği’nin Türkçe versiyonunun (34 Madde) güvenilir ve geçerli olduğunu ve üç faktör kapsamında açıklandığını göstermektedir.
During the past decades, the world has experienced rapid urbanization and industrialization, which brings huge economic development and convenient to people’s daily life, but also cause severe environmental pollution, including reduced greenspace exposure levels. According to the Biophilia theory, people has an innate affiliation with nature environment. Researchers, especially those from Europe and North America, have performed many studies to explore potential effects of greenspace on health, the underlying mechanisms, and also has suggested some urban greening policies. Compared to those developed countries, the study on greenness and health in China started later, but there also have accumulated a number of studies. Considering that China also has experienced rapid urbanization and a huge number of people are now living in urban area, which pose great challenge for people’s access to greenspace. Thus, it would be very needed and meaningful to summarize these studies conducted in China, which would be useful for policy makers and researchers in this field.
China’s unprecedented urbanization has a significant consequence on mortality rates over the past decades through the change in the quantity and quality of people’s exposure to vegetation. While numerous studies have investigated the effect of greenery exposure on mortality in developed countries, far less attention has been paid to this effect in China. This chapter provides a critical review of literature on the impacts of greenspace exposure on mortality in China and the rest of the world, particularly focusing on the variation by exposure metrics, demographic characteristics, types of mortality, and regional attributes. Empirical results unanimously indicated that greenspace exposure had a significant effect on reducing mortality in China, but results of the effect are inconsistent due to variations in contexts, exposure metrics, and the causes of death. This chapter ends with summarizing the limitations of previous research and indicating the direction of future research.
Background
Integrating natural environments into therapeutic practices is increasingly recognised for its positive effects on mental health recovery. However, there is limited research on how nature is utilised in psychotherapeutic treatments. This study aimed to fill this gap by providing initial data on the frequency and application of nature‐integrating psychotherapy. Additionally, it explores psychotherapists' attitudes towards the potential and limitations of integrating nature into psychotherapy under practical conditions.
Methods
A total of N = 1190 Austrian psychotherapists (mean age: 53.75 ± 10.84 years; 74.9% female; 19.9% psychodynamic, 47.9% humanistic, 23.0% systemic, 9.2% behavioural) participated in a cross‐sectional online survey assessing personality traits (Big Five Inventory), connectedness to nature (NCI), professional experiences in integrating aspects of nature in psychotherapy and estimated potentials and risks of nature‐integrating interventions.
Results
The majority of participating psychotherapists reported experience with conducting psychotherapy in nature (65.9%) and with integrating nature materials into their treatments (79.1%). Differences in some personality traits among psychotherapeutic orientations were observed, whereas the NCI did not differ. Overall, systemic therapists had the most positive attitude towards integrating nature into psychotherapy, whereas the opposite was observed for psychodynamic psychotherapists. Several aspects were found to also be affected by an interaction between orientation and gender.
Conclusions
Results indicate that nature‐integrating psychotherapy is both common and valued among Austrian psychotherapists, with differences observed across therapeutic orientations and genders. These differences highlight the need for further research to better understand the factors influencing psychotherapists' approaches to nature integration in clinical practice.
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