Health Benefits of Walking in Nature: A Randomized Controlled Study Under Conditions of Real-Life Stress

Ólafsdóttir, Gunnþóra; Cloke, Paul; Schulz, André; Dyck, Zoé Van; Eysteinsson, Þór; Thorleifsdottir, B; Vögele, Claus

doi:10.1177/0013916518800798

Cited by 106 publications

(111 citation statements)

References 50 publications

(99 reference statements)

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“…Our final sample consisted of six studies (Brooks et al, 2017 ; Calogiuri et al, 2018 ; Olafsdottir et al, 2018 ; Chirico and Gaggioli, 2019 ; Browning et al, 2020b ; Nukarinen et al, 2020 ). All included studies used the same cross-cutting measure of mood—the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS)—to measure changes in negative and positive affect levels.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

An Actual Natural Setting Improves Mood Better Than Its Virtual Counterpart: A Meta-Analysis of Experimental Data

et al. 2020

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Accumulating evidence indicates that simulated natural settings can engage mechanisms that promote health. Simulations offer alternatives to actual natural settings for populations unable to travel outdoors safely; however, few studies have contrasted the effects of simulations of natural settings to their actual outdoor counterparts. We compared the impacts of simulated and actual natural settings on positive and negative affect (mood) levels using a pooled sample of participants enrolled in extant experimental studies. Relevant articles were identified from a review of research published/in press by March 2020 and updated during the peer review of the current study. Of 16 articles identified, 6 met the inclusion criteria and administered a single cross-cutting, standardized instrument [the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS)] before and after exposure. Random effects meta-analysis of pooled effects showed that positive affect increased in the actual settings but not in their simulated counterparts (Hedge's g = 0.87; 95% CI, 0.54, 1.20). We observed little difference in effects on negative affect change scores (g = −0.28; 95% CI, −0.62, 0.06), with studies generally showing reductions in negative affect in both settings. Further research with additional populations, settings, antecedent conditions, and durations would provide a more robust understanding of differences in effects between these two ways to enhance mood by viewing nature.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

An Actual Natural Setting Improves Mood Better Than Its Virtual Counterpart: A Meta-Analysis of Experimental Data

et al. 2020

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“…Participants with lower stress levels showed no improvement, implying that the stress level tends towards a specific level, likely the conditioned low-stress level of home. Students who walked in nature had significantly lower plasma cortisol levels compared with students who walked in a gym or watched a nature video during exam periods, but not during no-exam periods [ 73 ]. Again, this finding suggests that stress levels tends towards a pre-conditioned level.…”

Section: Conditioned Restoration Theorymentioning

confidence: 99%

Proposing a Framework for the Restorative Effects of Nature through Conditioning: Conditioned Restoration Theory

Egner

Sütterlin

Calogiuri

2020

IJERPH

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Natural environments have been shown to trigger psychological and physiological restoration in humans. A new framework regarding natural environments restorative properties is proposed. Conditioned restoration theory builds on a classical conditioning paradigm, postulating the occurrence of four stages: (i) unconditioned restoration, unconditioned positive affective responses reliably occur in a given environment (such as in a natural setting); (ii) restorative conditioning, the positive affective responses become conditioned to the environment; (iii) conditioned restoration, subsequent exposure to the environment, in the absence of the unconditioned stimulus, retrieves the same positive affective responses; and (iv) stimulus generalization, subsequent exposure to associated environmental cues retrieves the same positive affective responses. The process, hypothetically not unique to natural environments, involve the well-documented phenomenon of conditioning, retrieval, and association and relies on evaluative conditioning, classical conditioning, core affect, and conscious expectancy. Empirical findings showing that restoration can occur in non-natural environments and through various sensory stimuli, as well as findings demonstrating that previous negative experience with nature can subsequently lower restorative effects, are also presented in support of the theory. In integration with other existing theories, the theory should prove to be a valuable framework for future research.

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“…Nature can also improve physiological recovery from a stressor when viewed after (Ulrich et al, 1991) or before (Brown et al, 2013) experimental stressors. Lastly, nature has also been found to lower cortisol levels in both stressed and unstressed individuals (Olafsdottir et al, 2018;Hunter et al, 2019).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Viewing Landscapes Is More Stimulating Than Scrambled Images After a Stressor: A Cross-disciplinary Approach

et al. 2020

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Research has demonstrated that nature is beneficial for many aspects of one's health. This pilot study aimed to investigate whether viewing landscape artworks, as a form of representational nature, could improve psychological and physiological recovery from a laboratory stressor. A sample of 30 participants was randomized to one of two conditions: landscape and scrambled. After a laboratory stress task, participants in the landscape condition viewed a series of landscape paintings for 30 min; participants in the scrambled condition viewed digitally scrambled versions of these artworks as a control condition. Pupil size was measured while viewing the images using an eye tracker. Affect, drowsiness and fatigue, and the salivary stress biomarkers, cortisol, and alpha-amylase were measured at baseline, after the stressor, and after the artwork viewing period. After the viewing period, the scrambled condition had increased reports of low negative affect (which contains the variables of sleepy, dull, and sluggish) (p = 0.045, h p 2 = 0.12) and increased reports of drowsiness (p = 0.038, h p 2 = 0.12). Salivary cortisol levels decreased more rapidly while viewing the scrambled images compared to the landscape artworks (p = 0.027, h p 2 = 0.62). Lastly, pupil size while viewing the landscape artworks was larger than when viewing a blank screen (p = 0.025, h p 2 = 0.33), an effect not seen in the scrambled condition. This pilot study suggests that viewing landscape artworks was more stimulating and reduced drowsiness after stress when compared to viewing scrambled images.

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Health Benefits of Walking in Nature: A Randomized Controlled Study Under Conditions of Real-Life Stress

Cited by 106 publications

References 50 publications

An Actual Natural Setting Improves Mood Better Than Its Virtual Counterpart: A Meta-Analysis of Experimental Data

An Actual Natural Setting Improves Mood Better Than Its Virtual Counterpart: A Meta-Analysis of Experimental Data

Proposing a Framework for the Restorative Effects of Nature through Conditioning: Conditioned Restoration Theory

Viewing Landscapes Is More Stimulating Than Scrambled Images After a Stressor: A Cross-disciplinary Approach

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