Wood Use and Restoration, Quantified
How much? Where?
How much? Where?
Restocking brain power
Towe-Goodman and many colleagues investigated links between living near green spaces (for instance, forests, parks, residential yards) and mental health. They learned via studying over 2000 children living in 41 US states that “greater residential green space exposure [from birth and within an area up to ¾ of a mile from home] was associated with fewer internalizing symptoms [for example, anxiety and depression] in early childhood but not in middle childhood. . . .
Research by a Fattahpour-lead team indicates that there are positive implications of nature soundscaping hospital emergency departments. The researchers report that “Nature sound was played for an hour at the commencement and conclusion of each work shift for two months. Subsequently, participants completed the three questionnaires. . . . Introducing nature sounds in the emergency department reduced job stress and increased staff productivity. However, job satisfaction levels did not change significantly. . . .
Pagnini and colleagues probed stress in an isolated, confined, extreme space—one that people can’t leave whenever they want—an Antarctic base. They report that “Long-duration missions in isolated, confined, and extreme environments, including Antarctica and upcoming deep-space operations, can be a source of increased stress. . . . crew members from two Antarctic expeditions at the Concordia base were repeatedly assessed over the course of a 12-month mission for stress (Perceived Stress Scale) and mindfulness. . . .
Ma and colleagues evaluated the repercussions of viewing indoor green walls. They found a link between looking at green walls of certain sizes and mental state: “Subjects’ cognitive performance was highly improved in the presence of a large green wall [green view index (GVI) = 15%]. Systolic blood pressure and heart rate were reduced . . . most significantly in the presence of a large green wall. Diastolic blood pressure decreased significantly . . .
Johansson lead a team which assessed how mentally refreshing different outdoor spaces are. They had Swedish adults from urban and rural areas “read scenarios concerning encounters with each of these four animals during recreational visits to a nearby natural setting. The scenarios varied in how frequently the person could expect to encounter each animal across visits (never, sometimes, often). . . . Across all areas . . .
Welcoming, de-stressing all users
"Saying" the right things
Performance, mental state repercussions