Lecture 8: Green spaces Flashcards
What is the Biophilia Hypothesis?
- People feel an innate tendency to seek connections with nature and other forms of life
- If people connect to nature they will get happier and healthier
Biophila = love (philos) for nature (bio)
What are the results of the study about whether people with more green space in their living environment feel healthier?
The probability of feeling unhealthy is 1,5 times larger when living in an environment with little green space
Research on green space and morbidity: results
reduced risk of?
- Coronary heart disease
- Neck- and back complaints
- Severe neck, back, shoulder, elbow, wrist and hand complaints
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Migraine
- Vertigo
- Upper respiratory tract infection
- Astma, COPD
- Infectious disease from the intestinal canal
- Medically Unexplained Physical Symptoms
- Diabetes mellitus
- Acute urinary tract infection
Strenght of relation was especially high for depression among children
What are the benefits of more green space for society?
- Less patients + saving healthcare costs
- Less sick people + saving labour costs
On which four aspects does a green environment have a positive impact?
- Psychological
- Lifestyle
- Enhanced immune functioning
- Environmental nuisance
Name the four theories/ mechanisms that explain the psychological effect of nature
- Attention Restoration Theory (art) - 1989
- Stress reduction theory (SRT) - 1983
- Perceptual Fluency Account - 2011
- Conditioned Restorative Theory - 2020
Explain the Attention Restoration Theory (ART)
- Directed attention (effortful)
- Involuntary attention (not effortful)
Prolonged use of directed attention diminishes capacity to ward off distractions. Directed attention will fatigue which leads to irritability and increased susceptibility to stress.
Effortless attention engaged by aspects of nature enables rest for a fatigue due to directed attention.
Being exposed to green spaces: less distracted, better memory and better attention capability
Green spaces give you the feeling of being awake —> example: studying and taking a break to walk in a green environment “being away and soft fascination” —> attention can restore)
Explain the stress reduction theory (SRT)
(psycho-evolutionary theory?)
Non-harmfull survival promoting natural elements evoke an initial positive affective response
For a person experiencing acute stress, nature contact can very rapidly evoke positive effect, which in turn blocks negative thoughts and feelings and foster reduction of psychological activation and henceforth stress
= Less negative thinking and stress, more positive
Explain the Perceptual Fluency Account
Natural environments are processed more fluently than urban setting = better restorative potential (recover from stress more easily)
“Nature is easy on the eye”, because of fractal/ self similar patterns
Repetitive patterns in nature –> Perceptual fluency account –> recover from stress more easily
Explain the Conditioned Restorative theory
People are conditioned to have a restorative experiene from nature and associated environmental cues.
- Before conditioning
- Restorative conditioning
- Conditioned restoration
- Stimulus generalization
What lifestyle factors have been associated with green space?
- Physical activity
- Sleep
- Social contacts
- Healthy diet
- Relaxation
Explain the association between physical activity, nature and health
Physical activity outside (vs inside):
- less tension, anger, depression, more joy
- higher intention to undertake activities in the future
- Beneficial effect on therapy commitment, waist-hip-ratio, vitamin D concentrations
In nature (vs city):
- less stress measured using (1) heartrate, (2) heartrate variability, (3) cortisol level, (4) extend of parasympathic and sympathic activity
Explain the association between sleep, nature and health
Positive association with sleep quality and quantity for:
1. exposure to or availability of green space in the living environment
2. walking programs in green spaces and gardening
Explain the association between social contacts, nature and health
Green space enhances social contacts, in neighbourhoods with green space:
- more social contacts
- more social cohesion
- less agression and frustration
In what settings could you apply knowledge on the health effect of green spaces in health promotion and disearse prevention?
- Daycare
- Elementary school
- High school
- University
- Work and living environment
- Hospitals
- Woman shelters
- Mental health care
- Elderly care
