Stress recovery from virtual exposure to a brown (desert) environment versus a green environment

Yin, Jie; Bratman, Gregory N.; Browning, Matthew H.E.M.; Spengler, John D.; Álvarez, Héctor A. Olvera

doi:10.1016/j.jenvp.2022.101775

Cited by 30 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 62 publications

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“…Middle Eastern college students exposed to a 1-min coastal desert video (an environment familiar to this population) showed better performance on a subsequent memory task than students showed videos of a temperate forest (a less familiar environment) (Pilotti et al, 2019). Nursing students from El Paso, TX, who viewed a 10-min 360-degree video of a desert in virtual reality (VR) showed similar levels of stress recovery to those students who viewed a 360-degree video of a public park with trees and grass (Yin et al, 2022). U.S. adults also reported that exposure to a desert image was less depleting and stressful than exposure to a built-up urban center (Shalev, 2016).…”

Section: Desertsmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…Meanwhile, deserts are valuable tourism resources (Michopoulou et al, 2021). Therefore, some scholars advocate that the health benefits of deserts, particularly as it relates to shorter-term exposures, deserve more attention (Yin et al, 2022).…”

Section: Desertsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Emerging concepts such as "white space" (e.g., snow-covered landscapes; Brooke & Williams, 2021;Finlay, 2018;Korpela et al, 2014;Olwig, 2005;Yli-Panula et al, 2022), "brown space" (e.g., deserts; Nazif-Munoz et al, 2020;Olvera-Alvarez et al, 2021;Yin et al, 2022), and "red nature" (e.g., volcanos; Kotera et al, 2021) bring more types of landscapes into scholarly discourse. Human perceptions of landscapes are undoubtedly shaped by sight and visual attributes, such as color, that contribute to experiences related to places (Bell, 2012;Lengen, 2015).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…To add more complexity, even plants and water change color with time and place (Zhou et al, 2022). Some studies reveal the psychological benefits of landscapes that have few plants or minimal liquid water, such as deserts (Yin et al, 2022). Scholarly examination of the shorterterm psychological and physiological responses to these landscapes, and the health outcomes associated with longer-term exposure of living in these settings, may challenge the consensus that people prefer natural resource-rich environments (i.e., those with abundant plants and/or liquid water).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Beyond "bluespace" and "greenspace": A narrative review of possible health benefits from exposure to other natural landscapes

Li¹,

Browning²,

Rigolon³

et al. 2022

Preprint

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Numerous studies have highlighted the physical and mental health benefits of contact with nature, typically in landscapes characterized by plants (i.e., “greenspace”) and water (i.e., “bluespace”). However, natural landscapes are not always green or blue, and the effects of other landscapes are worth attention. This narrative review attempts to overcome this limitation in past research by pursuing the following objectives: (1) categorizing these natural landscapes, (2) summarizing the literature on health benefits of exposure to landscapes beyond "greenspace" and "bluespace," and (3) presenting the potential mechanisms underlying any health benefits derived from exposure to these other landscapes. We propose that natural landscapes are composed of at least one of three components: (1) plants (e.g., trees, flowering plants, grasses, sedges mosses, ferns, and algae), (2) water (e.g., rivers, canals, lakes, oceans), and/or (3) rocks and minerals, including soil. Landscapes not dominated by plants or liquid-state water include those with abundant solid-state water (e.g., polar spaces) and rocks or minerals (e.g., deserts, caves). Possible health benefits of solid-state water or rock/mineral dominated landscapes include both shorter-term (i.e., viewing images) and longer-term (i.e., living in these landscapes) exposure durations. Reported benefits span improved emotional and mental states and medical treatment resources for respiratory conditions and allergies.Restorative and instorative mechanisms underlying health benefits consist of commonly discussed theories in the "greenspace" and "bluespace" literature as well as less discussed pathways in that literature. Benefits of shorter-term exposure may be explained by attention restoration theory and stress reduction theory. Benefits of longer-term exposure may result from the cumulative effects of shorter-term exposures as well as psychological benefits explained by post-traumatic growth theory, supportive environment theory, and place attachment. Additional mechanisms may include distinct types of physical activity and immune system benefits, among others.This is the first review to draw attention to the potential salutogenic value of natural landscapes beyond "greenspace" and "bluespace." It is also among the first to highlight the limitations and confusion that result from classifying natural landscapes using colors. Since the extant literature on natural landscapes - beyond those with abundant plants or liquid-state water - is limited in regard to quantity and quality, additional research is needed to understand their restorative potential and therapeutic possibilities.

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Section: Desertsmentioning

confidence: 98%

Section: Desertsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Beyond "bluespace" and "greenspace": A narrative review of possible health benefits from exposure to other natural landscapes

Li¹,

Browning²,

Rigolon³

et al. 2022

Preprint

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Furthermore, current situations—such as air pollution, global climate changes, and pandemic—may prevent people from accessing physical nature or create more health risks (Browning et al 2020b ; Pinho et al 2021 ; Suppakittpaisarn et al 2020b ). Fortunately, virtual reality presents an opportunity for those who are limited from the contact of nature, but with some questions about its effects relative to actual nature exposure (Browning et al 2020a ; Frost et al 2022 ; Yin et al 2022 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Durations of virtual exposure to built and natural landscapes impact self-reported stress recovery: evidence from three countries

Suppakittpaisarn

Tung

et al. 2022

Landscape Ecol Eng

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Exposure to natural landscapes can benefit human health. However, several knowledge gaps remain regarding the impacts of duration and cultural differences on the health benefits of nature. If these gaps are filled, designers and planners can better design landscapes for stress recovery. This study examined the effects of durations of virtual exposure to the built and natural environments across three countries using an experimental design. Two-hundred and seventy people from USA, Taiwan, and Thailand were induced with an acute stressor and then randomly assigned to watch 360° videos of urban or natural landscapes for 1, 5, or 15 min. Self-reported stress recovery data were collected before and after the exposure. The results suggested that gender and duration of exposure to virtual natural landscapes impacted stress recovery. Female participants recovered from stress more when exposed to the virtual natural landscapes than urban landscapes. Among those participants who were exposed to virtual natural landscapes, 5 min of exposure resulted in greater stress recovery than shorter or longer durations of exposure. Perceived familiarity did not influence the extent of stress recovery. These findings support previous research on how nature exposure is related to stress recovery and varies by dosage, leading to better understanding toward landscape design. Future studies should explore other measures of stress, different landscape designs, participants’ immersion, and levels of control in simulated nature scenes.

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Physiological and affective responses to green space virtual reality among pregnant women

Sun

et al. 2023

Environmental Research

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Stress recovery from virtual exposure to a brown (desert) environment versus a green environment

Cited by 30 publications

References 62 publications

Beyond "bluespace" and "greenspace": A narrative review of possible health benefits from exposure to other natural landscapes

Beyond "bluespace" and "greenspace": A narrative review of possible health benefits from exposure to other natural landscapes

Durations of virtual exposure to built and natural landscapes impact self-reported stress recovery: evidence from three countries

Physiological and affective responses to green space virtual reality among pregnant women

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