Urbanization has progressed at a very rapid rhythm in the last century, and over half of the world population lives in today in urban areas and is calculated that by 2050 this percentage will exceed 70%.
Obviously this trend has meant that we were less and less exposed to natural environments and some studies make urbanization coincide with an increase in the prevalence of psychological problems.
Environmental psychology, born in the 70s, channeled the attention of researchers of the most varied areas, which was increasingly interested in the individual’s relationship with the natural or artificial environment in which it comes to find themselves, and the variables that influence them.
A great variety of studies suggests that exposure to natural environments can have a positive impact on various psychological functions, benefiting from various aspects.
Some research has shown, then postulating different theories, that contact with nature has effects on the reduction of stress, making it decrease anxiety, brooding and depressed mood, as well as increasing some cognitive functions. In two recent studies the effects of stay during a walk in natural environments and urban environments have been analyzed.
In the first of these studies, following the results of previous research, it was assumed that the subjects exposed to a walk in the midst of nature had different emotional and cognitive effects compared to those exhibited at the same time walking in city streets.
The results that emerged from this study confirm that in those who had walked in environments rich in green, far from buildings and roads, anxiety, brooding and negative feelings were decreased, measured with specific pre and post -walk questionnaires.
Cognitive functions, relating to work, attention and problem solving, also improved compared to the preliminary condition and compared to the sample subjected to the urban walk.
In another recent study, two champions have been exposed to images of natural environments and artificial environments respectively, assuming that the decrease in the Arousal induced by the natural environment could have effects on the perception of time.
The latter aspect seems to have important implications on impulsive behavior, and this second research has highlighted how exposure to natural images decreased impulsive behaviors having influenced the perception of time.
From an evolutionary point of view, natural environments represent an instinctively familiar visual matrix, as well as inducing a culturally mediated cognitive evaluation of pleasant memories linked to outdoor activities.
The environment within which we decide to move, therefore, can widely influence our emotions and thoughts, providing, if necessary, a further tool for managing our feeling.
Bibliographic references
- Gregory N. Bratman, Gretchen C. Daily, Benjamin J. Levy & James J. Gross (2015). The Benefits of Nature Experience: Improved affectory and cognition. Landscape and Urban Planning, vol. 138, 41–50.
- Meredith S. Berry, Meredith A. Repake, Norma P. Nickerson, Lucian G. Conway, Amy L. Odum, & Kerry E. Jordan (2015) Making Time For Nature: Visual Exposure to Natural Environments Lengthens Subjective time Perception and Reduces Impulsivey. Plos One | Doi: 10.1371/Journal.Pone.0141030
