Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item:
https://hdl.handle.net/1959.11/21490
Title: | Into the Woods or a Stroll in the Park: How Virtual Contact with Nature Impacts Positive and Negative Affect | Contributor(s): | McAllister, Elizabeth (author); Bhullar, Navjot (author) ; Schutte, Nicola (author) | Publication Date: | 2017 | Open Access: | Yes | DOI: | 10.3390/ijerph14070786 | Handle Link: | https://hdl.handle.net/1959.11/21490 | Abstract: | This study examined the effects of virtual contact with nature on positive and negative affect, and investigated the psychological process of perceived restorativeness as a mediator of this relationship. A sample of 220 Australians aged between 18 and 75 years (M = 49.07, SD = 14.34, female = 72%) participated in the study. Participants were randomly allocated to one of the three experimental conditions experienced through video presentations: (1) 'wild' nature, (2) 'urban' nature, and (3) non-nature control. They then completed measures of perceived restorativeness as well as positive and negative affect. Compared to the non-nature control condition, the experience of wild nature resulted in significantly higher levels of positive affect and lower levels of negative affect. The experience of urban nature resulted in significantly lower levels of negative affect only compared to the non-nature control video. Experience of wild and urban nature resulted in greater perceptions of restorativeness as compared to the non-nature control video. Restorativeness was a significant underlying psychological mediating path through which nature experience exerted its influence on affect. These results have the potential to inform nature-based green care interventions for mental health as well as for urban planning to maximize beneficial effects of natural environments. | Publication Type: | Journal Article | Source of Publication: | International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 14(7), p. 1-11 | Publisher: | MDPI AG | Place of Publication: | Switzerland | ISSN: | 1660-4601 1661-7827 |
Fields of Research (FoR) 2008: | 170113 Social and Community Psychology 170106 Health, Clinical and Counselling Psychology |
Fields of Research (FoR) 2020: | 520302 Clinical psychology | Socio-Economic Objective (SEO) 2008: | 970117 Expanding Knowledge in Psychology and Cognitive Sciences | Socio-Economic Objective (SEO) 2020: | 280121 Expanding knowledge in psychology | Peer Reviewed: | Yes | HERDC Category Description: | C1 Refereed Article in a Scholarly Journal |
---|---|
Appears in Collections: | Journal Article School of Psychology |
Files in This Item:
File | Description | Size | Format |
---|
SCOPUSTM
Citations
48
checked on May 4, 2024
Page view(s)
1,924
checked on Jul 2, 2023
Items in Research UNE are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.