Breathing Uneasily: Employees' Stories of Coping With Poor Indoor Air Quality in the Workplace

OBJECTIVES

This phenomenological study aimed to elucidate the lived experiences of employees suffering from poor indoor air quality (IAQ) in their university workplace. It addresses gaps in understanding IAQ's personal impacts from occupants' perspectives.

BACKGROUND

Prior research on sick building syndrome and indoor air pollution utilized quantitative methods to assess physical health outcomes. However, few studies have adopted qualitative approaches to uncover the meanings ascribed to adverse IAQ experiences and their influences on psychosocial well-being.

METHODS

In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with five university employees who attributed their chronic illnesses to poor IAQ in their 60-year-old office building with a history of IAQ concerns. Verbatim transcripts were analyzed using qualitative techniques including thematic coding to extract key themes conveying shared experiences.

RESULTS

Employees depicted the building itself as fundamentally "sick" and stigmatized, compelling complex coping behaviors hindering productivity. Communication breakdowns, mistrust in leadership, and strained workplace relationships were prevalent. A sense of betrayal, powerlessness, and a sense of detachment from the workplace emerged with home as a refuge.

CONCLUSIONS

Although technically adequate, poor IAQ profoundly damaged perceived health, quality of life, relationships, and satisfaction. The accounts emphasize IAQ's psychosocial dimensions, advancing theoretical links between indoor environments and well-being. Supportive policies, transparency, communication, participatory processes, and human-centered strategies emerge as ways to nurture productivity, well-being, and organizational health.

Leveraging and exercising caution with ChatGPT and other generative artificial intelligence tools in environmental psychology research

Generative Artificial Intelligence (GAI) is an emerging and disruptive technology that has attracted considerable interest from researchers and educators across various disciplines. We discuss the relevance and concerns of ChatGPT and other GAI tools in environmental psychology research. We propose three use categories for GAI tools: integrated and contextualized understanding, practical and flexible implementation, and two-way external communication. These categories are exemplified by topics such as the health benefits of green space, theory building, visual simulation, and identifying practical relevance. However, we also highlight the balance of productivity with ethical issues, as well as the need for ethical guidelines, professional training, and changes in the academic performance evaluation systems. We hope this perspective can foster constructive dialogue and responsible practice of GAI tools.

Uncovering the connection between ceiling height and emotional reactions in art galleries with editable 360-degree VR panoramic scenes

Introduction

This study investigates the relationship between ceiling height and emotional responses in art galleries, using editable 360-degree VR panoramic scenes. Prior research has explored the influence of spatial dimensions on general emotions, but the specific impact of ceiling height in art gallery settings, particularly on discrete emotions, remains understudied.

Methods

The study utilized 360-degree panoramic photo scene modeling to modify ceiling heights within virtual art galleries, assessing emotional responses through self-report measures. Participants were presented with virtual art gallery environments featuring varying ceiling heights. Two studies were conducted: Study 1 involved absolute emotion rating across different ceiling heights, and Study 2 focused on selecting ceiling heights based on assigned emotions.

Results

The data revealed that ceiling height significantly impacts specific emotions, notably disgust and joy. Lower ceiling heights generally evoked higher levels of fear and anger, while higher ceiling heights were associated with increased joy. The impact on other emotions like sadness, surprise, and disgust was more nuanced and varied across different ceiling heights.

Discussion

The findings highlight a complex relationship between ceiling height and emotional responses in art galleries. The study demonstrates the efficacy of using editable 360-degree VR panoramic scenes in environmental psychology and architecture research, offering insights into how spatial dimensions influence emotional experiences in architectural settings.

Leucocyte telomere length, brain volume and risk of dementia: a prospective cohort study

Background

The evidence regarding the association between leucocyte telomere length (LTL) and brain health is sparse and inconclusive.

Aims

To investigate the associations of LTL with brain structure and the risk of dementia based on a large-scale prospective study.

Methods

LTL in the peripheral blood was measured by the quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) assay from 439 961 individuals in the UK Biobank recruited between 2006 and 2010 and followed up until 2020. Electronic health records were used to record the incidence of dementia, including Alzheimer's disease (AD) and vascular dementia (VD). The brain structure, including total and regional brain volume, of 38 740 participants was then assessed by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Results

During a median follow-up of 11.6 years, a total of 5 820 (1.3%) dementia cases were documented. The restricted cubic spline model showed significant overall associations between LTL and the risk of dementia and AD (p for overall <0.05). The multivariable adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) for the lowest LTL tertile compared with the highest LTL tertile were 1.14 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.06 to 1.21) for dementia, 1.28 (95% CI: 1.12 to 1.46) for AD and 1.18 (95% CI: 0.98 to 1.42) for VD. Furthermore, we found that shorter LTL was associated with smaller total brain volume (β=-0.012 8, p=0.003), white matter volume (β=-0.022 4, p<0.001), hippocampus volume (β=-0.017 2, p<0.001), thalamus volume (β=-0.023 9, p<0.001) and accumbens (β=-0.015 5, p=0.001).

Conclusions

Shorter LTL is associated with total and regional brain structure and a higher risk of incident dementia and AD, implying the potential of telomere length as a predictive biomarker of brain health.

The psychosocial impact of climate change among smallholder farmers: a potential threat to sustainable development

Psychosocial impacts of climate change and implications on sustainable development remain unclear. This problem was addressed focusing on smallholder farmers in resettlement areas of Chirumanzu District, Zimbabwe. An Exploratory Descriptive Qualitative research design was adopted. Purposive sampling techniques were used to select 54 farmers who served as main respondents from four representative wards. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analyzed using a grounded theory approach. Code groups and codes were established through inductive approaches considering narratives of farmers. Forty psychosocial impacts were established. They were qualitative, intangible, indirect and difficult to measure quantitatively. Farmers agonized over the threat of climate change on farming operations, felt humiliated, and embarrassed over detestable practices they resorted to due to climate change. Some farmers experienced heightened negative feelings, thoughts, and emotions. It was established that psychosocial impacts of climate change have a bearing on sustainable development of emerging rural communities.

Prosociality and Personality: Perceived Efficacy of Behaviors Mediates Relationships between Personality and Self-Reported Climate Change Mitigation Behavior

The included studies examined the relationship between climate change mitigation behavior (CCB) and personality. In Study 1, 1089 US collegians completed a measure of the Big Five and indicated how often they engaged in five CCBs. Engaging in each CCB was regressed on the Big Five. These analyses found openness was positively related to all five CCBs, neuroticism was positively related to four of five CCBs, and extraversion was positively related to three CCBs. In Study 2, 1688 US collegians completed the same measures as in Study 1 with two additional CCBs. They also indicated how efficacious they thought each CCB was. Each CCB was regressed on the Big Five. These results largely replicated those of Study 1 and also found that conscientiousness was positively related to five of seven CCBs. Mediational analyses found that all relationships between personality factors and CCB were mediated by the perceived efficacy of the CCB. The present results suggest that efforts to increase climate change mitigation behavior need to take into account the perceived efficacy of such behaviors.

Investigating the Impact of Occupational Technostress and Psychological Restorativeness of Natural Spaces on Work Engagement and Work-Life Balance Satisfaction

The COVID-19 pandemic has necessitated lockdowns and mandatory working from home, as well as restrictions on travel and recreation. As a result, many people have had to use their home as an office and have increased their use of Information Communications Technology (ICT) for work purposes. Nature and accessing natural spaces are known to be beneficial for human health and wellbeing, as a result of their restorative properties. Access to local outdoor spaces was permitted under restrictions, and use of such spaces increased during lockdown. This survey study investigated whether the perceived restorativeness of natural spaces and exposure to technostress predicted the levels of work engagement and work-life balance satisfaction (WLBS) during the period of COVID-19 restrictions adopted in 2020. Analyses conducted on a sample of 109 people employed in the UK revealed that technostress negatively impacted WLBS, whilst perceived psychological restorativeness positively predicted work engagement. The study highlights the benefits of having access to natural spaces to improve employees' work engagement and potentially negate the negative effects of technostress, particularly during a period of intensive working from home. The results contribute to the understanding of the linkages between restorativeness and work engagement, paving the way for synergies across these research fields.

Global heart warming: kama muta evoked by climate change messages is associated with intentions to mitigate climate change

Concern about climate change is often rooted in sympathy, compassion, and care for nature, living beings, and future generations. Feeling sympathy for others temporarily forms a bond between them and us: we focus on what we have in common and feel a sense of common destiny. Thus, we temporarily experience communal sharing relationships. A sudden intensification in communal sharing evokes an emotion termed kama muta, which may be felt through tearing up, a warm feeling in the chest, or goosebumps. We conducted four pre-registered studies (n = 1,049) to test the relationship between kama muta and pro-environmental attitudes, intentions, and behavior. In each study, participants first reported their attitudes about climate change. Then, they received climate change-related messages. In Study 1, they saw one of the two moving video clips about environmental concerns. In Study 2, participants listened to a more or less moving version of a story about a typhoon in the Philippines. In Study 3, they listened to a different, also moving version of this story or an unrelated talk. In Study 4, they watched either a factual or a moving video about climate change. Participants then indicated their emotional responses. Finally, they indicated their intentions for climate mitigation actions. In addition, we measured time spent reading about climate-related information (Studies 1, 2, and 4) and donating money (Study 4). Across all studies, we found that feelings of kama muta correlated positively with pro-environmental intentions (r = 0.48 [0.34, 0.62]) and behavior (r = 0.10 [0.0004, 0.20]). However, we did not obtain evidence for an experimental effect of the type of message (moving or neutral) on pro-environmental intentions (d = 0.04 [-0.09, 0.18]), though this relationship was significantly mediated by felt kama muta across Studies 2-4. The relationship was not moderated by prior climate attitudes, which had a main effect on intentions. We also found an indirect effect of condition through kama muta on donation behavior. In sum, our results contribute to the question of whether kama muta evoked by climate-change messages can be a motivating force in efforts at climate-change mitigation.

Walking and Sitting Outdoors: Which Is Better for Cognitive Performance and Mental States?

Myriad research indicates that physical activity and natural environments enhance cognitive performance and mental health. Much of this research is cross-sectional or involves physical activity in outdoor environments, rendering it difficult to ascribe the results to a particular condition. This study utilized electroencephalography (EEG) and established cognitive performance tasks to determine the impact of a short intervention including either walking or sitting in an outdoor environment. In this experiment, a total of 50 participants were randomized into walking and sitting groups, with cognitive performance measured before, after, and 10 min post intervention. Both groups demonstrated improvements in cognitive performance, with no significant difference between groups. Elevated levels of relaxation during the intervention were the best predictor of post-test performance. Participants reporting a higher connection to nature, as well as state-based mindfulness during the outdoor intervention, also reported lower levels of frontal theta (i.e., rumination) during the interaction, while the walking group demonstrated higher relaxation. These findings provide a direct connection to neural mechanisms influenced by physical activity and the natural environment, and their impact on cognitive performance. This supports Attention Restoration Theory and the effectiveness of short outdoor interventions incorporating physical activity as a method of restoring mental attention.

Built environment color modulates autonomic and EEG indices of emotional response

Understanding built environment exposure as a component of environmental enrichment has significant implications for mental health, but little is known about the effects design characteristics have on our emotions and associated neurophysiology. Using a Cave Automatic Virtual Environment while monitoring indoor environmental quality (IEQ), 18 participants were exposed to a resting state (black), and two room scenes, control (white) and condition (blue), to understand if the color of the virtual walls affected self-report, autonomic nervous system, and central nervous system correlates of emotion. Our findings showed that exposure to the chromatic color condition (blue) compared to the achromatic control (white) and resting-state (black, no built environment) significantly increased the range in respiration and skin conductance response. We also detected a significant increase in alpha frontal midline power and frontal hemispheric lateralization relative to blue condition, and increased power spectral density across all electrodes in the blue condition for theta, alpha, and beta bandwidths. The ability for built environment design to modulate emotional response has the potential to deliver significant public health, economic, and social benefits to the entire community. The findings show that blue coloring of the built environment increases autonomic range and is associated with modulations of brain activity linked to emotional processing.

Application of social identity models of collective action to facilitate participation in groundwater aquifer storage and recovery management

Aquifer storage and recovery (ASR) is considered as an innovative method and an alternative one for sustainable management of water resources that has, in recent years, attracted the attention of experts and thinkers. Implementation of this method would entail the participation and collective action of various stakeholders. In this process, farmers are considered as the most important stakeholders; and limited studies have been conducted on their intentions to participate in collective actions of ASR management. In this regard, the investigation of farmers' intention to participate in ASR and its determinants, using social identity models of collective action, was selected as the main purpose of the present study. For this purpose, using a cross-sectional survey, 330 Iranian farmers were interviewed. In this study, the ability of the dual-pathway model of collective action (DPMCA) and the encapsulation model of social identity in collective action (EMSICA) was evaluated and compared to explain farmers' intentions towards participation in ASR management. The results revealed that the both models had good predictive powers. However, DPMCA was a stronger framework than EMSICA for facilitating farmers' collective behaviors in the field of participation in ASR management. This is one of the most important results of the present research that might be used by various users including decision makers, managers, and practitioners of water resources management in Iran and generally the world. Finally, the creation of a "we thinking system" or social identity in the field of ASR management was highlighted as one of the most important take-home messages.

Functional brain connectivity during exposure to the scale and color of interior built environments

Understanding brain activity linked to built environment exposure is important, as it may affect underlying cognitive, perceptual, and emotional processes, which have a critical influence in our daily life. As our time spent inside buildings is rising, and mental health problems have become more prevalent, it is important we investigate how design characteristics of the built environment impact brain function. In this study, we utilized electroencephalography to understand whether the design elements of scale and color of interior built environments modulate functional brain connectivity (i.e., brain network communication). Using a Cave Automatic Virtual Environment, while controlling indoor environmental quality responsible for physiological comfort, healthy adult participants aged 18-55 years (66 for scale, subset of 18 for color), were exposed to context-neutral indoor room scenes presented for two-minutes each. Our results show that both enlarging and reducing scale enhanced theta connectivity across the left temporoparietal region and right frontal region. We also found when reducing the built environment scale, there was a network exhibiting greater high-gamma connectivity, over the right frontoparietal region. For color, the condition (blue) contrasted to our achromatic control (white) increased theta connectivity in the frontal hemispheres. These findings identify a link between theta and gamma oscillations during exposure to the scale and color of the built environment, showing that design characteristics of the built environment could affect our cognitive processes and mental health. This suggests that, through the design of buildings, we may be able to mediate performance and health outcomes, which could lead to major health and economic benefits for society.

luox: validated reference open-access and open-source web platform for calculating and sharing physiologically relevant quantities for light and lighting

Light exposure has a profound impact on human physiology and behaviour. For example, light exposure at the wrong time can disrupt our circadian rhythms and acutely suppress the production of melatonin. In turn, appropriately timed light exposure can support circadian photoentrainment. Beginning with the discovery that melatonin production is acutely suppressed by bright light more than 40 years ago, understanding which aspects of light drive the 'non-visual' responses to light remains a highly active research area, with an important translational dimension and implications for "human-centric" or physiologically inspired architectural lighting design. In 2018, the International Commission on Illumination (CIE) standardised the spectral sensitivities for predicting the non-visual effects of a given spectrum of light with respect to the activation of the five photoreceptor classes in the human retina: the L, M and S cones, the rods, and the melanopsin-containing intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs). Here, we described a novel, lean, user-friendly, open-access and open-source platform for calculating quantities related to light. The platform, called luox, enables researchers and research users in vision science, lighting research, chronobiology, sleep research and adjacent fields to turn spectral measurements into reportable quantities. The luox code base, released under the GPL-3.0 License, is modular and therefore extendable to other spectrum-derived quantities. luox calculations of CIE quantities and indices have been endorsed by the CIE following black-box validation.

Integrating Observation and Network Analysis to Identify Patterns of Use in the Public Space: A Gender Perspective

In the last few decades, increasing attention has been given to gender issues in urban design. However, research on the urban environment continues to show large gender inequalities, which are especially evident when studying the use and enjoyment of the public space. This study aims to identify predominant patterns of use in public places and to explore the possible existence of traditional gender roles in the urban space. The study uses, three public spaces in the city of Barcelona as a case study, an innovative combination of systematic observation techniques and network analysis procedures. Variables collected by EXOdES, a dedicated software analysis tool for systematic observation, are represented as nodes of a network system and analyzed using network analysis tools. Findings confirmed that, in spite of the progressive consolidation of feminist urbanism, uses in the public realm resulting from traditional gender roles remained explicitly recognizable. Whereas women’s occupation of space was related to playground and resting areas, generally involving care activities concerned with children or elderly people, men were primarily located in resting and sports areas, practicing sports, or participating in leisure activities. These patterns of use were more prone to emerge when users were part of a group than when they were alone. From a gender perspective, a contribution of the study is that it informed about main aspects of the analyzed public spaces reconfirming the existence of traditional roles in society, and the significance of exploring the public space as a key scenario where social features are explicitly exposed. From a methodological perspective, the processing of observational data with network analysis tools proved to be relevant and suitable for dealing with the intricacies of urban place analysis. Compared to more classical approaches and systems, these techniques allowed to identify and interpret complex systems composed of many variables and relationships in a relatively straightforward manner, which turns it into a useful aid for urban designers and architects.

Elevating the Role of the Outdoor Environment for Adolescent Wellbeing in Everyday Life

In light of concerns about adolescent mental health, there is a need to identify and examine potential pathways to wellbeing in their daily lives. Outdoor environments can offer multiple pathways to wellbeing through opportunities for restoration, physical activity and socialising. However, urbanisation and new lifestyles revolving around the home and the internet are changing young people's access, use and relationship to the outdoor environment. The authors point out how the research related to adolescents' outdoor environments is generally not treated with the same level of importance or as comprehensively as that for younger children. The aim of this paper is to pave the way for research and planning initiatives on everyday outdoor environments promoting the wellbeing of adolescents and the authors suggest ways in which perspectives from developmental psychology might inform the study of adolescents' outdoor environments. The paper concludes by calling for an elevated focus on the role of outdoor environments in adolescents' everyday lives as a source of wellbeing and more research that makes clear the specific attributes, activities and experiences related to places outdoors which make adolescents feel good.

A Participatory Interior Design Approach for a Restorative Work Environment: A Research-Intervention

Exposure to environmental stressors has physical and psychological consequences. A demanding physical environment involves the allocation of additional attentional resources and an increase in psycho-physical stress. This study illustrates the process of a research-intervention aimed at designing a workplace, using a participatory design approach, and considering the beneficial effect of restorative environments in reducing stressful elements and improving well-being at work. Stressful situations occur daily, compromising proper functioning while causing the occurrence of physiological and/or psychological disorders. To be able to safeguard their psycho-physical well-being, people normally adopt coping strategies, i.e., remedies that allow them to cope and manage situations that generate stress. One of these strategies is the exposure to natural environments, which promotes recovery and sustains psycho-physical well-being. The restorative properties of natural environments have been scientifically proven. However, even built spaces can be thought of as restorative environments, in particular when certain conditions are granted. An applied science, known as biophilic design, provides useful indications from this perspective. This project involved 57 employees of the Italian site of an international non-governmental organization, in the transition from a site no longer adequate to a new site requiring renovation. In a first phase, a survey was conducted, to verify the perceived quality of the current workplace and to detect the unmet workers' needs, and to assess some other important psychological constructs connected with perception of restorativeness and well-being. In a second phase, the findings emerged from the survey was analyzed in depth through a participatory interior design process, together with an interdisciplinary team of architects, technicians of the organization and environmental psychology researchers. The team, together with some representatives of employees, worked together through possible scenarios, adopting a biophilic design approach, to design the new workplace. At the end, the same survey of the first phase was conducted, to detect differences in perceived quality in the new workplace compared to the previous one.

Big Changes Start With Small Talk: Twitter and Climate Change in Times of Coronavirus Pandemic

Behavioural scientists have been studying public perceptions to understand how and why people behave the way they do towards climate change. In recent times, enormous changes to behaviour and people's interactions have been brought about by the worldwide coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, unexpectedly and indefinitely; some of which have environmental implications (e.g., travelling less). An innovative way to analyse public perceptions and behaviour is with the use of social media to understand the discourse around climate change. This paper focuses on assessing changes in social media discourse around actions for climate change mitigation over time during the global pandemic. Twitter data were collected at three different points during the pandemic: February (time 1), June (time 2), and October 2020 (time 3). By using machine learning techniques, including recurrent neural networks (RNN) and unsupervised learning Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) topic modelling, we identified tweets mentioning actions to mitigate climate change. The findings identified topics related to "government actions," "environmental behaviours," "sustainable production," and "awareness," among others. We found an increase in tweets identified as "action tweets" relating to climate change for time 2 and time 3 compared with time 1. In addition, we found that the topic of energy seemed to be of relevance within the public's perceptions of actions for climate change mitigation; this did not seem to change over time. We found that the topic of "government actions" was present across all time points and may have been influenced by political events at time 1, and by COVID-19 discourse at times 2 and 3. Moreover, topic changes over time within Twitter indicated a pattern that may have reflected restrictions on mobility as these tended to focus on individual and private sphere behaviours rather than group and public sphere behaviours. Changes in topic patterns may also reflect an increase in salience of certain behaviours (e.g., shopping), which may have received increased attention due to lockdown restrictions. Considering restrictions and adaptability challenges people face in times of a global pandemic may help to identify how to support sustainable behaviour change and the likely persistence of these changes.

Organizational perspectives on outdoor talking therapy: Towards a position of 'environmental safe uncertainty'

OBJECTIVES

There is growing support within the therapy professions for using talking therapy in alternative environments, such as outdoor spaces. The aim of the present study was to further understand how the organizational culture in clinical psychology may prevent or enable practitioners to step outside the conventional indoor consulting room.

DESIGN

Informed grounded theory methodology was used within a pragmatist philosophy.

METHODS

Participants (N = 15; nine male, six female) were identified using theoretical sampling. The sample consisted of experts and leaders within the profession of clinical psychology (e.g., heads of services, training programme directors, chairs of professional bodies, and developers of therapy models; M years in the profession = 34.80, SD = 9.77). One-to-one interviews and analysis ran concurrently over 9 months (April-December 2020). Mason's model of safe uncertainty was drawn upon to illuminate and organize themes.

RESULTS

The main themes comprised organizational factors that either support a practitioner in maintaining a position of curiosity and flexibility towards the environment where therapy is located ('environmental safe uncertainty'), or push them towards adopting a more fixed position ('environmental certainty'). Themes included influences from therapy traditions, accessibility of alternative environments, internalized risk, workplace subcultures, business models, biomedical approaches, and the COVID-19 pandemic.

CONCLUSIONS

Whether therapy is located in a consulting room, outdoors, clients' homes, or digitally, practitioners, clients, and services are encouraged to maintain a position of environmental safe uncertainty.

PRACTITIONER POINTS

The therapy process and outcomes are influenced by the physical environment in which talking therapy is situated. Practitioners have often remained fixed in their preferred therapy environment, such as the indoor consulting room, without exploring the potential benefits of alternative environments or involving the client in this decision-making (i.e., 'environmental certainty'). Outdoor environments, as well as other alternatives to the consulting room (e.g., digital, home visits, and public places), can support access to therapy, subsequent engagement, and therefore health care equity. Practitioners and clients are encouraged to adopt a position of 'environmental safe uncertainty', which is defined as having openness, critical curiosity, and collaboration regarding the therapy environment and the possibility of other environments being more conducive to therapy.

luox: novel validated open-access and open-source web platform for calculating and sharing physiologically relevant quantities for light and lighting

Light exposure has a profound impact on human physiology and behaviour. For example, light exposure at the wrong time can disrupt our circadian rhythms and acutely suppress the production of melatonin. In turn, appropriately timed light exposure can support circadian photoentrainment. Beginning with the discovery that melatonin production is acutely suppressed by bright light more than 40 years ago, understanding which aspects of light drive the 'non-visual' responses to light remains a highly active research area, with an important translational dimension and implications for "human-centric" or physiologically inspired architectural lighting design. In 2018, the International Commission on Illumination (CIE) standardised the spectral sensitivities for predicting the non-visual effects of a given spectrum of light with respect to the activation of the five photoreceptor classes in the human retina: the L, M and S cones, the rods, and the melanopsin-containing intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs). Here, we described a novel, lean, user-friendly, open-access and open-source platform for calculating quantities related to light. The platform, called luox, enables researchers and research users in chronobiology, sleep research and adjacent field to turn spectral measurements into reportable quantities. The luox code base, released under the GPL-3.0 License, is modular and therefore extendable to other spectrum-derived quantities. luox has been endorsed by the CIE following black-box validation.

A Preliminary Exploration of Landscape Preferences Based on Naturalness and Visual Openness for College Students With Different Moods

The interaction between man and nature causes people to have different preferences for their surrounding environment, and pleasant landscapes can bring both physical and mental benefits to people. Previous studies have demonstrated the relationship between moods and landscape preferences, and this study sought to explore the landscape preferences of college students under different moods. A total of 1,034 students participated in the survey, recovering 1,022 valid questionnaires. The Profile of Mood States (POMS) scale was used to evaluate the mental status of each respondent. The study on landscape characteristics proceeded in two steps (comprising four gradients): landscape naturalness and landscape visual openness. The research results show that under natural landscape conditions, college students in a fatigued state have a greater preference for the second-gradient (higher naturalness) landscape environment; under the conditions of landscape visual openness, college students in an indignant state have a greater preference for the second-gradient (relatively private) landscapes. These findings have significance for exploring the rehabilitation function of landscape architecture and have a guiding role for future landscape design.

Effects of Biophilic Nature Imagery on Indexes of Satisfaction in Medically Complex Physical Rehabilitation Patients: An Exploratory Study

OBJECTIVE

Exposure to nature has been shown to influence various dimensions of human experience in the healthcare environment. This mixed method study explores the effects of the presence of biophilic, nature-based imagery on patient perceptions of their hospital room and aspects of their experience in rehabilitation.

BACKGROUND

In settings where patients have high degrees of medical acuity and infection control is a major concern, exposure to the benefits of real nature may be precluded. This is also true in many older healthcare facilities which were not designed with salutatory nature exposure in mind. In these settings, the presence of nature imagery may provide benefits which positively impact patient experience.

METHOD

Seventy-six physical rehabilitation patients on a medically complex/cardiopulmonary rehabilitation unit filled out questionnaires assessing their perceptions of their room and various indexes of patient satisfaction. Data were collected from 47 patients in enhanced room containing nature imagery and 29 patients in standard rooms which served as controls.

RESULTS

Scores on the Environmental Assessment Scale (EAS) indicated a significant difference between experimental and control group in the rating of their rooms (p = .0071). Ratings of quality of room, quality of stay, quality of sleep, and overall care trended in the direction of the hypothesis but were not significant. Data from qualitative questionnaires supported the results of the EAS.

CONCLUSION

We conclude that the presence of biophilic nature imagery in the hospital rooms had a significant effect on patients' room ratings and positively influenced indexes of patient satisfaction.

The Influence of Users' Spatial Familiarity on Their Emotional Perception of Space and Wayfinding Movement Patterns

In order to evaluate the sensory perceptions of users who visited a train station, this study aimed to conduct an evaluation of their spatial emotions and identify the distance and type of transfer. For evaluation and verification, emotional recognition and wayfinding types were analyzed according to types in the groups (gender, age, and spatial familiarity) of experimental participants. There were two research questions: “Will the length of movement patterns in the experiment environment vary depending on the types of the participant group?” and “Is there any moderating effect in the interaction between spatial familiarity and the types of the participant groups?” A total of 28 participants were recruited with consideration of gender, age, and familiarity with spatial experience, which were used to analyze the participant groups. The experiment was conducted at a train station, and a vignette was presented to the participants to record the route and pattern of their wayfinding, followed by providing a questionnaire to record their spatial perception. SPSS was used to conduct a T-test, factor analysis, and multidimensional scaling (MDS). The differences in spatial perception were arranged in visual positioning based on emotional vocabulary, and average movement distances in the participant groups were compared in accordance with the type of wayfinding and interaction effect by ANOVA. The results showed that there was a difference in spatial perception depending on the negative emotional vocabulary and type of participant. An emotional positioning map for average comparison was prepared for each participant group (gender, age, and spatial familiarity) by using the factors extracted in the factor analysis (emotional factor, management factor, and aesthetic factor). Female and unfamiliar groups displayed negative results in the emotional factor (F = 7.202, p < 0.05). In addition, male and familiar groups displayed negative results in the management factor (F = 3.058, p < 0.10). In wayfinding, there was an interaction between gender and the resident group based on the status of their spatial familiarity. Through this, it was possible to extract negative emotional evaluations according to the type of participant and the interaction factors for the type and length of the wayfinding.

Aesthetic Attributes of Museum Environmental Experience: A Pilot Study With Children as Visitors

The research project is a small pilot study of the restorative aspects of museum experience on children; these include the sense of fascination during the visit. Museum environmental awareness was a latecomer to Museum and Visitor studies but is now highly valued. No longer just the “objects” contained in the museum fascinate but also the environment itself becomes an object of fascination. Some authors provide a clear categorization of feelings experienced by the visitor during a museum experience and suggest a framework with four categories of satisfying experience: objective, cognitive, introspective, and social. In designing our study, we began with the definition of museum experience and added a fifth category of “environmental experience.” With this term, we refer to the extent to which the physical environment in and around a museum affects visitors. Indeed, our aim is to analyze the visitor’s stream of feelings and opinions during a museum visit (specifically, the MART—Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art of Trento and Rovereto) to find a proper definition of the aesthetic elements characterizing the “environmental preference.” To do this, we referenced classical and experimental paradigms of Environmental Psychology applied to a museum context and building aesthetic researches, combining qualitative and quantitative approaches. The case study involved 41 children, 20 male and 21 female, from two primary school classes in Rovereto (Italy); the average age was 8.3 years old.

The Creative Brain Under Stress: Considerations for Performance in Extreme Environments

Over the last 2 decades, we have begun to gain traction on the neural systems that support creative cognition. Specifically, a converging body of evidence from various domains has demonstrated that creativity arises from the interaction of two large-scale systems in the brain: Whereas the default network (DN) is involved in internally-oriented generation of novel concepts, the executive control network (ECN) exerts top-down control over that generative process to select task-appropriate output. In addition, the salience network (SN) regulates switching between those networks in the course of creative cognition. In contrast, we know much less about the workings of these large-scale systems in support of creativity under extreme conditions, although that is beginning to change. Specifically, there is growing evidence from systems neuroscience to demonstrate that the functioning and connectivity of DN, ECN, and SN are influenced by stress - findings that can be used to improve our understanding of the behavioral effects of stress on creativity. Toward that end, we review findings from the neuroscience of creativity, behavioral research on the impact of stress on creativity, and the systems-level view of the brain under stress to suggest ways in which creativity might be affected under extreme conditions. Although our focus is largely on acute stress, we also touch on the possible impact of chronic stress on creative cognition.

The autonomic nervous system in its natural environment: Immersion in nature is associated with changes in heart rate and heart rate variability

Stress Recovery Theory (SRT) suggests that time spent in nature reduces stress. While many studies have examined changes in stress physiology after exposure to nature imagery, nature virtual reality, or nature walks, this study is the first to examine changes in heart rate (HR) and vagally mediated HR variability, as assessed by Respiratory Sinus Arrythmia (RSA), after a longer duration of nature exposure. Consistent with SRT, we hypothesized that immersion in nature would promote stress recovery, as indexed by an increase in RSA and a decrease in HR. We also predicted that exposure to nature would improve self-reported mood. We used a within-subjects design (N = 67) to assess changes in peripheral physiology before, during, and after a 5-day nature trip. Results demonstrated a significant decrease in RSA and a significant increase in HR during the trip compared to before or after the trip, suggesting that immersion in nature is associated with a shift toward parasympathetic withdrawal and possible sympathetic activation. These results were contrary to our hypotheses and may suggest increased attentional intake or presence of emotions associated with an increase in sympathetic activation. We also found an improvement in self-reported measures of mood during the trip compared to before or after the trip, confirming our hypotheses and replicating previous research. Implications of this study are discussed in the context of SRT.

Objective and Perceived Neighborhood Greenness of Students Differ in their Agreement in Home and Study Environments

Research has reported the associations between objective or subjective neighborhood greenness and health, with low agreement between the greenness scores. College students are prone to poor health, and data are lacking on home and university environments. We studied the agreement between greenness parameters and the associations of objective greenness with health in different locations. Three hundred and seventy-seven college students were recruited, with a mean age of 24 years, in the city of Graz, Austria. Objective and perceived greenness was assessed at home and at university. Health measures included the WHO-5 questionnaire for mental health, the IPAQ questionnaire (short) for physical activity and sedentariness, and body mass index. Per location, quintile pairs of objective and perceived greenness were classified into underestimates, correct estimates or overestimates. Interrater reliability and correlation analyses revealed agreement between greenness scores at home but not at university. ANOVA models only showed poorer mental health for students underestimating greenness at university (M = 51.38, SD = 2.84) compared to those with correct estimates (M = 61.03, SD = 1.85). Agreement between greenness scores at home but not at university was obtained, and mental health was related to the perception of greenness at university. We conclude that reliable and corresponding methods for greenness scores need to be developed.

The Effects of Workplace Nature-Based Interventions on the Mental Health and Well-Being of Employees: A Systematic Review

Mental health in the workplace is a societal challenge with serious economical and human costs. Most prevalent mental disorders in the workforce (e.g., depression), however, are preventable. There is widespread agreement about the favorable effects of nature exposure and consequently, nature-based interventions (NBI) in the workplace have been proposed as a cost-effective approach to promote good health among employees. The objective of the present study was to systematically review scientific evidence on the effectiveness of NBI to promote mental health and well-being among actual employees in actual workplace settings. The review was conducted and presented in accordance with the PRISMA guidelines. The literature search was performed on five databases (PubMed, Embase, CENTRAL, CINHAL, and PsycINFO), hand-searching of field-specific journals, and the reference lists of retrieved papers over the past 5 years up to November (13th, 2018). Studies were eligible for inclusion if they (i) were randomized or nonrandomized controlled trials; (ii) comprised samples of actual employees; (iii) implemented a workplace-based intervention with exposure to nature; (iv) included comparison conditions that displayed a clear contrast to NBIs; and (v) investigated the quantitative effects on mental health or well-being. No restrictions on type of employees or workplace, publication period, or language of the publication were set. Risk of bias was assessed using the Cochrane's RoB2 tool. Narrative synthesis was performed due to large heterogeneity in outcome variables. Of the 510 articles identified, 10 NBIs (nine papers) met the eligibility criteria. The outcomes were grouped in five categories: (i) mental health indices, (ii) cognitive ability, (iii) recovery and restoration, (iv) work and life satisfaction, and (v) psychophysiological indicators. Narrative synthesis indicates consistently positive effects on mental health indices and cognitive ability, while mixed results were found for the other outcome categories. Caution must be given when interpreting the current evidence in this emerging research field because of the diversity of NBIs and the overall high risk of bias in the individual studies. Although in this field often researchers have to balance scientific rigor and ecological validity, there is a need for large, well-designed and rigorously conducted trials grounded in contemporary theories.

A Theoretical Model for Urban Walking Among People With Disabilities

This paper is an attempt to advance research on walking at a neighborhood level of analysis for people with disabilities by proposing a theoretical model that combines the knowledge of two disciplines: traffic planning and environmental psychology. The aim is to provide guidance for a discussion and a plan for future interdisciplinary investigations by proposing a model that accounts for the dynamic interaction between environmental characteristics, human processes, and walking experience among individuals with a disability. For this purpose, traffic planners, and environmental psychologists came together to discuss theories, concepts, and thematic relevance in a series of focus group meetings. These meetings led to the selection of the Human Environment Interaction (HEI) model, originally developed from the field of environmental psychology and operationalized to describe how walking experiences result from the interplay between individual abilities, emotional processes, and the physical and social characteristics of the environment (Küller, 1991). The proposed model aims to sustain interdisciplinary discussion and research planning around the topic of neighborhood walking for people with disabilities. By operationalizing each dimension in the model, a good fit between groups with disabilities and individual differences associated with walking experiences is assumed, which, in turn, will have the potential to provide a more conscious analysis of wellbeing-related outcomes, such as usability of the environment, frequency of mobility, and quality of life. However, to improve understanding of urban walking at a neighborhood level for people with disabilities, empirical studies must be carried out to test the proposed model.

Sedentariness of College Students Is Negatively Associated with Perceived Neighborhood Greenness at Home, but Not at University

Previous studies reported contradictory evidence for associations between perceived greenness and obesity mediated by physical activity, focusing on people’s homes or general greenness. Data are lacking in other environments. We studied the association of perceived greenness at home and at university with BMI and physical activity. An online survey collected data from 601 participants, living and studying in and around the city of Graz, Austria; mean age of 24 years. Greenness was assessed using questions on quality of and access to green space; Body mass index (BMI) was derived from self-reported measures; physical activity and sedentariness were measured using the IPAQ questionnaire (short version). On average, BMI was 22.6 (SD = 3.7), physical activity was 63.3 (SD = 51.7) METh/week, and participants spent 5.8 (SD = 4.0) h/day sitting. Regression analyses revealed no associations between perceived greenness and BMI and physical activity for all environments, but a negative association for sedentariness and perceived greenness at home, but not at university. The results indicate a relation between perceived greenness and sedentariness, which differs for the home-and study environment.

Safe Community Gardening Practices: Focus Groups with Garden Leaders in Atlanta, Georgia

Although best management practices have been recommended by government agencies and non-profit organizations to reduce community gardeners' potential exposure to soil contaminants such as lead, some gardeners do not perform these practices. Understanding gardeners' beliefs and motivations is critical for effective promotion of safer gardening practices. This study, grounded in the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), employed five focus groups to investigate Atlanta community garden leaders' perspectives concerning three gardening practices: composting, hygiene behaviors, and mulching. These general practices are also considered safe gardening practices in that they can reduce exposure to toxicants in urban gardens. Qualitative analysis identified advantages and disadvantages; supporters and non-supporters; and barriers and facilitators that might influence gardeners' opinions regarding these behaviors. Gardeners expressed that more funding, volunteers, and training are needed to promote these behaviors. Gardeners noted that mulch and compost provided advantages such as improving soil quality, but a primary barrier was concern about contamination of source materials. Focus group participants did not directly associate composting and mulching with reduction of exposure to soil contaminants. Behavioral challenges related to hygiene included concerns about decreased exposure to salubrious bacteria, inadequate access to potable water, and limited availability of gloves and wipes. These study findings characterize factors that community garden stakeholders should consider when promoting safe gardening practices and interventions.

Restorativeness in Natural and Urban Environments: A Meta-Analysis

In recent decades, there has been an increasing volume of research aimed out quantifying the extent to which the natural environment can assist in restoring mental, emotional, and physical well-being. It is commonly assumed that natural environments are more restorative than urban environments. However, studies addressing this issue use a variety of methods for data collection making it difficult to compare the findings of different studies. The research reported here uses a meta-analysis aimed at estimating how much natural environments are perceived as being more restorative than urban environments. We investigated the role of moderator variables such as research design, kind of natural environment, participants, measurement instruments used or the context in which the data were collected. PsycINFO, PsycARTICLES, Scopus, SpringerLINK, Web of Science online databases were used to identity all peer-review articles on restorativeness published to date (k = 167). Reference sections of obtained papers were examined for additional studies. Only 22 studies met inclusion criteria (direct exposure to environment, comparison between one outdoor environment with natural element and one without natural element, and restorativeness measured by self-report scale) and were included in meta-analysis. Results show that natural environments are perceived to be more restorative than urban environments (Cohen's d (confidence interval) = 1.99 (1.38-2.61)). Significant heterogeneity between the study was found (Q(19) = 503.16, p < .001) and variability within studies was very high (I² = 97%). However, subsequent univariate moderator analyses were not significant. Other methodological differences (e.g., lighting conditions) could explain this variability. We concluded that the variability in studies is more likely to be due to individual differences (e.g., age, connections to nature, and environmental attitude) than the methodological differences.

Evaluating sense of community in the residential environment from the perspectives of symbolic interactionism and architectural design

The paper fills the gap between the design and the actuality of how buildings, and its surroundings, urban design, and the built environment influence its occupants' behavior and interactions. We assess how the built environments can be influenced by humans and their control, both physical and symbolically, of the urban landscapes. In this regard, our paper merges symbolic interactionism, sense of community, and architectural design to aid our understanding of the man-environment relationship. Specifically, we assess qualitative data on Ekbatan Residential Complex in Tehran. We use Ekbatan as a case study to see how a sense of community among residents reflects both physical features of the complex and the symbolic meaning attached to these features by residents and those living outside the community. We conclude by suggesting that combining the interests of urban sociologist, community psychology, and architects via symbolic interactionist concepts may be a fruitful avenue for studying factors affecting sense of community and larger urban processes.

Perspectives on Heavy Metal Soil Testing Among Community Gardeners in the United States: A Mixed Methods Approach

Community gardens offer numerous benefits, but there are also potential risks from exposure to chemical contaminants in the soil. Through the lens of the Theory of Planned Behavior, this mixed methods study examined community gardeners’ beliefs and intentions to conduct heavy metal soil testing. The qualitative component involved five focus groups of community garden leaders in Atlanta, Georgia. Qualitative analysis of the focus group data revealed that heavy metal soil contamination was not frequently identified as a common gardening hazard and several barriers limited soil testing in community gardens. The focus group results informed the development of a questionnaire that was administered to 500 community gardeners across the United States. Logistic regression analysis revealed that the soil testing intention was associated with attitude (aOR = 2.46, 95% CI: 1.34, 4.53), subjective norms (aOR = 3.39 95% CI: 2.07, 5.57), and perceived behavioral control (aOR = 1.81, 95% CI: 1.10, 2.99). Study findings have implications for interventions involving community garden risk mitigation, particularly gardens that engage children and vulnerable populations.

How to Report Light Exposure in Human Chronobiology and Sleep Research Experiments

Exposure to light has short- and long-term impacts on non-visual responses in humans. While many aspects related to non-visual light sensitivity have been characterised (such as the action spectrum for melatonin suppression), much remains to be elucidated. Here, we provide a set of minimum reporting guidelines for reporting the stimulus conditions involving light as an intervention in chronobiology, sleep research and environmental psychology experiments. Corresponding to the current state-of-the-art knowledge (June 2019), these are (i) measure and report the spectral power distribution of the acute stimulus from the observer's point of view; (ii) measure and report the spectral power distribution of the background light environment from the observer's point of view; (iii), make spectra available in tabulated form, (iv) report α-opic (ir)radiances and illuminance; (v) describe the timing properties of stimulus (duration and pattern); (vi) describe the spatial properties of stimulus (spatial arrangement and extent), and (vii) report measurement conditions and equipment. We supplement the minimum reporting guidelines with optional reporting suggestions and discuss limitations of the reporting scheme.

Ecologizing Social Psychology: The Physical Environment as a Necessary Constituent of Social Processes

Recent trends in social psychology point to increased interest in extending current theories by better incorporating the body (e.g., embodied cognition) and the broader interpersonal context (e.g., situations). However, despite being a critical component in early social theorizing, the physical environment remains in large part underdeveloped in most research programs. In this article, I outline an ecological framework for understanding the person-environment relationship. After introducing this perspective, I describe how this approach helps reveal the critical role played by the physical environment in a variety of social processes, including childhood development, interpersonal relationships, and social identity. Finally, I review a topic in environmental psychology that has received little attention among social psychologists: territories. I provide an ecological perspective on how the design, use, and personalization of this type of environment guide and constrain regulatory processes involving social behavior, identity expression, and emotional experience.

Associations of socio-demographic, perceived environmental, social and psychological factors with active travel in Hong Kong adolescents: the iHealt(H) cross-sectional study

Adolescent active travel (AT) can contribute to health-enhancing physical activity, sense of community, social interactions, spatial and navigational skills and is a sustainable form of transport. Data analysed were from surveys with validated scales, translated and adapted for Chinese speaking Hong Kong adolescents and their parents, and administered to 1,299 adolescent/parent dyads. Using hierarchical modelling, this study examined independent associations of socio-demographic, perceived environmental, social and psychological factors (in that order) with adolescent AT to/from school (ATS) and AT to other destinations in Hong Kong. Moderation by gender and age on perceived environmental and social factors and number of household vehicles on proximity to destinations with AT were also estimated. The adolescents participating in ATS (58%), averaged 7.93 trips and 139.79 min per week. Adolescents averaged 7.68 trips/week to destinations other than school. Perceived proximity of school to home and social support for PA from peers were independently associated with higher odds of engaging in ATS. Social support for PA from household adults was associated with lower odds of engaging in ATS, especially in older adolescents. Trip frequency in those who engaged in ATS was positively associated with perceived proximity of school, access to services and parental transport-related PA. Perceived proximity of school was negatively associated with weekly minutes of ATS. Gender modified the association between social support for PA from peers and ATS frequency, and that of perceived proximity to public transport from home with weekly minutes of ATS. Perceived environmental, social and psychological factors were independently associated with AT to destinations other than school. In conclusion, Hong Kong adolescents appear to have high frequencies of ATS and AT to other destinations than reported elsewhere. Social support from peers, parental AT and having schools and other destinations within walking distance from home may independently contribute to adolescents' AT.

Characterizing Nature and Participant Experience in Studies of Nature Exposure for Positive Mental Health: An Integrative Review

A growing number of studies demonstrate significant associations between nature experiences and positive mental health outcomes (e.g., improved mood, decreased stress). However, implementation of this research by practitioners in fields such as urban design or public health has been limited. One reason for this is that it remains unclear what elements of nature and types of participant experience are consistently associated with mental health benefits. As a result, decision-makers who aim to enhance mental health in cities have little guidance about which elements of nature and types of experiences in natural areas may lead to positive mental health outcomes. We reviewed 30 studies with 41 distinct exposures in nature that elicited positive mental health benefits and characterized the elements of nature found at these sites, as well as aspects of participants' experience. Elements of natural areas considered include: forest, managed grass, and water as dominant land cover types, specific water features (e.g., small ponds, fountains) and built features (e.g., trails, paths). The majority of the studies we reviewed assessed the experiences of individuals (vs. in groups) participating in walks during warmer seasons. Most studies did not describe the "nature of the nature" associated with positive mental health outcomes. We contacted authors and used Google Earth imagery to reconstruct the specific natural elements, landscape typology, and site adjacencies present in past studies. We recommend specific ways researchers could better and more transparently document important elements of nature and participant experience in study design and reporting that will enhance the planning and design relevance of their work.

Perception of Water-Based Masking Sounds-Long-Term Experiment in an Open-Plan Office

A certain level of masking sound is necessary to control the disturbance caused by speech sounds in open-plan offices. The sound is usually provided with evenly distributed loudspeakers. Pseudo-random noise is often used as a source of artificial sound masking (PRMS). A recent laboratory experiment suggested that water-based masking sound (WBMS) could be more favorable than PRMS. The purpose of our study was to determine how the employees perceived different WBMSs compared to PRMS. The experiment was conducted in an open-plan office of 77 employees who had been accustomed to work under PRMS (44 dB L_Aeq). The experiment consisted of five masking conditions: the original PRMS, four different WBMSs and return to the original PRMS. The exposure time of each condition was 3 weeks. The noise level was nearly equal between the conditions (43–45 dB L_Aeq) but the spectra and the nature of the sounds were very different. A questionnaire was completed at the end of each condition. Acoustic satisfaction was worse during the WBMSs than during the PRMS. The disturbance caused by three out of four WBMSs was larger than that of PRMS. Several attributes describing the sound quality itself were in favor of PRMS. Colleagues' speech sounds disturbed more during WBMSs. None of the WBMSs produced better subjective ratings than PRMS. Although the first WBMS was equal with the PRMS for several variables, the overall results cannot be seen to support the use of WBMSs in office workplaces. Because the experiment suffered from some methodological weaknesses, conclusions about the adequacy of WBMSs cannot yet be drawn.

Making Heat Visible: Promoting Energy Conservation Behaviors Through Thermal Imaging

Householders play a role in energy conservation through the decisions they make about purchases and installations such as insulation, and through their habitual behavior. The present U.K. study investigated the effect of thermal imaging technology on energy conservation, by measuring the behavioral effect after householders viewed images of heat escaping from or cold air entering their homes. In Study 1 (n = 43), householders who received a thermal image reduced their energy use at a 1-year follow-up, whereas householders who received a carbon footprint audit and a non-intervention control demonstrated no change. In Study 2 (n = 87), householders were nearly 5 times more likely to install draught proofing measures after seeing a thermal image. The effect was especially pronounced for actions that addressed an issue visible in the images. Findings indicate that using thermal imaging to make heat loss visible can promote energy conservation.

Beyond expectation: a case for nonpersonal contextual factors in a more comprehensive approach to the placebo effect and the contribution of environmental psychology

Creating an optimized health care environment to maximize the probability and magnitude of placebo effects draws on a number of well-researched mechanisms such as the patient’s positive expectation toward treatment outcome. Patient-centered communication styles influence expectations and can thus be considered as a form of supplemental treatment. Unconsciously processed contextual triggering and facilitating placebo effects are omnipresent in clinical settings as well as in all other social and physical environments. Contextual cues in both the social and physical domain exert influences on the recipient’s emotional state and recreational experiences. While the majority of research focuses on improving the patients’ expectations, classical conditioning effects of nonsocial contextual factors have been largely neglected in discussions on practical implementation of placebo-enhancing environments. Built on the empirically well-supported argument that conditioning processes act as a powerful tool to mobilize self-healing resources just as verbally induced expectations do, we argue for a stronger consideration of the effects of permanent, nonsocial and nonverbal environmental contexts. Environmental psychology is a new field of research within the psychological domain and offers a toolbox of opportunities for medical psychological research and health care practitioners to improve the treatment outcomes and benefits of health care environments.

An exploratory study into the effects of extraordinary nature on emotions, mood, and prosociality

Environmental psychology research has demonstrated that exposure to mundane natural environments can be psychologically beneficial, and can, for instance, improve individuals' mood and concentration. However, little research has yet examined the psychological benefits of extraordinary, awe-evoking kinds of nature, such as spectacular mountain scenes or impressive waterfalls. In this study, we aimed to address the underrepresentation of such extraordinary nature in research on human—nature interactions. Specifically, we examined whether watching a picture slideshow of awesome as opposed to mundane nature differentially affected individuals' emotions, mood, social value orientation (SVO), and their willingness to donate something to others. Our analyses revealed that, compared to mundane nature and a neutral condition, watching awesome natural scenes and phenomena had some unique and pronounced emotional effects (e.g., feeling small and humble), triggered the most mood improvement, and led to a more prosocial SVO. We found that participants' willingness to donate did not differ significantly for any of the conditions.

Some behavioral aspects of energy descent: how a biophysical psychology might help people transition through the lean times ahead

We may soon face biophysical limits to perpetual growth. Energy supplies may tighten and then begin a long slow descent while defensive expenditures rise to address problems caused by past resource consumption. The outcome may be significant changes in daily routines at the individual and community level. It is difficult to know when this scenario might begin to unfold but it clearly would constitute a new behavioral context, one that the behavioral sciences least attends to. Even if one posits a less dramatic scenario, people may still need to make many urgent and perhaps unsettling transitions. And while a robust response would be needed, it is not at all clear what should be the details of that response. Since it is likely that no single response will fix things everywhere, for all people or for all time, it would be useful to conduct many social experiments. Indeed, a culture of small experiments should be fostered which, at the individual and small group level, can be described as behavioral entrepreneurship. This may have begun, hidden in plain sight, but more social experiments are needed. To be of help, it may be useful to both package behavioral insights in a way that is practitioner-oriented and grounded in biophysical trends and to propose a few key questions that need attention. This paper begins the process of developing a biophysical psychology, incomplete as it is at this early stage.

The influence of health-risk perception and distress on reactions to low-level chemical exposure

The general aim of the current study was to investigate how perceived health risk of a chemical exposure and self-reported distress are related to perceived odor intensity and odor valence, symptoms, cognitive performance over time as well as reactions to blank exposure. Based on ratings of general distress, 20 participants constituted a relatively low distress group, and 20 other participants a relatively high distress group. Health risk perception was manipulated by providing positively and negatively biased information regarding n-butanol. Participants made repeated ratings of intensity, valence and symptoms and performed cognitive tasks while exposed to 4.7 ppm n-butanol for 60 min (first 10 min were blank exposure) inside an exposure chamber. Ratings by the positive and negative bias groups suggest that the manipulation influenced perceived health risk of the exposure. The high distress group did not habituate to the exposure in terms of intensity when receiving negative information, but did so when receiving positive information. The high distress group, compared with the low distress group, rated the exposure as significantly more unpleasant, reported greater symptoms and performed worse on a cognitively demanding task over time. The positive bias group and high distress group rated blank exposure as more intense. The main findings suggest that relatively distressed individuals are negatively affected by exposures to a greater degree than non-distressed.