Improve Mood/Increase Feelings of Wellbeing

Living near greenspace makes it less likely that people will experience postpartum depression (PPD).  Sun and colleagues found that “A reduced risk for PPD was associated with total green space exposure based on street-view measure [500 m buffer. . .], but not NDVI [normalized difference vegetation index], land-cover greenness, or proximity to a park. Compared to other types of green space, tree coverage showed stronger protective effects. . . . Street view-based green space and tree coverage were associated with a decreased risk of PPD.

Frigione and colleagues probed human responses to natural environments experienced virtually.  They report that their “study investigates the effects of natural and indoor virtual environments (VREs) on psychophysiological and cognitive responses. . . . participants were exposed to two VREs (i.e., a forest and a living room) . . . through a head-mounted display (Oculus Rift). . . . Participants reported a higher perceived sense of relaxation in the virtual forest. . . .

Swartjes and Berkers studied designing spaces for festivals; their findings have implications for the development of all sorts of public areas.  The investigators found after interviewing festival organizers that “Spaces with varied rhythms of movement, such as parks and streets, provide the opportunity for encounters as people engage in activities of lingering, people-watching and playing. . . . if one can see the whole route at once before starting to walk, it will feel as a ‘tiring length.’ . . .

Newly released research confirms the value of living near green spaces and water.  Vegaraju and Amiri determined that “Living closer to outdoor spaces and water sources may reduce older people’s risk of having serious psychological distress, which can lead to mild cognitive impairment and dementia. . . . Researchers defined serious psychological distress as mental health problems that require treatment and have a moderate to severe effect on a person’s ability to participate in work, school and social situations. . . .

 Research by Phillips and colleagues verifies the value of having access to nature.  The team reports on experiences during the COVID pandemic: “we examine which types of nature engagement (i.e. with nearby nature, through nature excursions and media-based) are more strongly associated with well-being. . . . Overall, nature engagement was a consistent predictor of well-being, but different types of activities predicted varying outcomes. . . .