Where to put your best foot forward: Psycho-physiological responses to walking in natural and urban environments

Gidlow, Christopher; Jones, Marc V.; Hurst, Gemma; Masterson, Daniel; Clark‐Carter, David; Tarvainen, Mika P.; Smith, Graham; Nieuwenhuijsen, Mark

doi:10.1016/j.jenvp.2015.11.003

Cited by 275 publications

(286 citation statements)

References 44 publications

(66 reference statements)

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“…There is a large body of literature that suggests that green environments have a restorative effect [10,11] and that this effect can be seen when walking in green space in both healthy [4,6] and clinical [5,7] populations. Recent research has suggested that even a short exposure to a static green scene is associated with improved behavioral performance on a sustained attention task when compared to short exposure to an image of a built urban environment devoid of nature [36].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Additionally, walking in nature has been shown to be beneficial for both well-being [3][4][5] and cognition [6,7]. The literature suggests that the difference between directed (top-down) attention, where an environment demands increased cognitive effort, such as a busy road crossing, and involuntary (bottom-up) attention, where features of an environment are interesting as opposed to demanding, may contribute the mechanism for the beneficial effect of nature [8].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Aging Urban Brain: Analyzing Outdoor Physical Activity Using the Emotiv Affectiv Suite in Older People

Neale

Aspinall²,

Roe

et al. 2017

J Urban Health

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This research directly assesses older people's neural activation in response to a changing urban environment while walking, as measured by electroencephalography (EEG). The study builds on previous research that shows changes in cortical activity while moving through different urban settings. The current study extends this methodology to explore previously unstudied outcomes in older people aged 65 years or more (n = 95). Participants were recruited to walk one of six scenarios pairing urban busy (a commercial street with traffic), urban quiet (a residential street) and urban green (a public park) spaces in a counterbalanced design, wearing a mobile Emotiv EEG headset to record real-time neural responses to place. Each walk lasted around 15 min and was undertaken at the pace of the participant. We report on the outputs for these responses derived from the Emotiv Affectiv Suite software, which creates emotional parameters ('excitement', 'frustration', 'engagement' and 'meditation') with a real-time value assigned to them. The six walking scenarios were compared using a form of high dimensional correlated component regression (CCR) on difference data, capturing the change between one setting and another. The results showed that levels of 'engagement' were higher in the urban green space compared to those of the urban busy and urban quiet spaces, whereas levels of 'excitement' were higher in the urban busy environment compared with those of the urban green space and quiet urban space. In both cases, this effect is shown regardless of the order of exposure to these different environments. These results suggest that

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Aging Urban Brain: Analyzing Outdoor Physical Activity Using the Emotiv Affectiv Suite in Older People

Neale

Aspinall²,

Roe

et al. 2017

J Urban Health

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“…Yet the evidence for changes in neuroendocrine measures such as cortisol secretion is inconsistent. Findings show that outside the occupational context, walks in natural settings lowered cortisol levels more than urban walks (Lee et al 2011;Park et al 2010), have had no effects in comparison to urban walks (Tyrväinen et al 2014), or have had positive effects similar to those of urban walks (Gidlow et al 2016).…”

Section: Relaxation Exercise and Park Walk As Recovery Activitiesmentioning

confidence: 84%

The Effects of Relaxation Exercises and Park Walks During Workplace Lunch Breaks on Physiological Recovery

Torrente¹,

Kinnunen²,

Sianoja³

et al. 2017

Scandinavian Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology

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Considering the increasing demands of various occupational interventions, this study aimed at examining the impact of relaxation exercises and park walks during lunch breaks on physiological recovery (i.e., on changes in cortisol excretion and blood pressure). In a four-week randomized controlled trial, 153 knowledge workers in seven companies were allocated to one of three groups: relaxation, park walk, or control. Both intervention groups were required to undertake either a lunchtime relaxation exercise or a park walk on each working day for two consecutive weeks. Data were collected at baseline, during the two-week intervention period, and in the week after the intervention. Mixed-design analyses of variance (ANOVA) were conducted. No beneficial intervention effects were observed in cortisol awakening response (CARi) or cortisol decline during the day (CDD). Blood pressure decreased significantly in the afternoon at work in each group. This decrease was more pronounced in the park walk group (d = .51-.58) than in the relaxation (d = .18-.28) and control (d = .31-.41) groups. Our study showed that changing knowledge workers' lunch routines for a short period of time does not affect cortisol excretion, but may lower blood pressure at the end of the working day. This lowered blood pressure also seemed to occur among the controls, suggesting that measuring and keeping track of blood pressure may serve as an intervention. However, longer interventions are needed to achieve stronger and long lasting physiological recovery effects.

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“…For example, a study in the United Kingdom used wearable sensors to demonstrate the effects of a short walk in a green space on brain activity that might be associated with enhanced relaxation and restoration (Aspinall et al 2015). It was also shown that walking in natural environments produces stronger short-term cognitive benefits than walking in the residential urban environment (Gidlow et al 2016a). Cortisol measures have demonstrated that gardening alleviated acute stress faster than reading (van den Berg and Custers 2011).…”

Section: Improved Relaxation and Restorationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of Urban Green Space on Environmental Health, Equity and Resilience

Braubach

Egorov

Mudu

et al. 2017

Theory and Practice of Urban Sustainability Transitions

134

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Modern urban life style is associated with chronic stress, insufficient physical activity and exposure to anthropogenic environmental hazards. Urban green space, such as parks, playgrounds, and residential greenery, can promote mental and physical health and reduce morbidity and mortality in urban residents by providing psychological relaxation and stress alleviation, stimulating social cohesion, supporting physical activity, and reducing exposure to air pollutants, noise and excessive heat.This chapter summarizes the pathways that link green spaces to health and wellbeing, and discusses available evidence of specific beneficial effects such as improved mental health, reduced risks of cardiovascular disease, obesity, diabetes and death, and improved pregnancy outcomes Specific attention is given to benefits of urban green space for disadvantaged groups and their impacts on health equity. Potential health risks associated with urban green spaces are also discussed along with approaches to reducing or eliminating these risks through proper design and maintenance of green spaces.

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Where to put your best foot forward: Psycho-physiological responses to walking in natural and urban environments

Abstract: Mood improved in natural and urban environments  Salivary cortisol reduced in natural and urban environments  Restorative experience was higher in natural environments  Greater cognitive benefits of natural environments were seen 30 min after leaving the environment.

Cited by 275 publications

References 44 publications

The Aging Urban Brain: Analyzing Outdoor Physical Activity Using the Emotiv Affectiv Suite in Older People

The Aging Urban Brain: Analyzing Outdoor Physical Activity Using the Emotiv Affectiv Suite in Older People

The Effects of Relaxation Exercises and Park Walks During Workplace Lunch Breaks on Physiological Recovery

Effects of Urban Green Space on Environmental Health, Equity and Resilience

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