This month I spent most of my time traveling around 4 countries and ultimately experiencing many different environments along the way. Some cities were greener than others and some felt more comfortable than the rest. In my opinion the ones that felt most comfortable were the ones that had green space. For example, walking down the streets of London was amazing because there were trees lining the sidewalks and the environment gave off a calming vibe. Also, spending time in the Luxembourg Gardens was beautiful and relaxing. The Luxembourg garden was packed with many people participating in several acts such as: sleeping, walking, sitting and talking, playing, racing boats, and running. When I arrived to the gardens I was feeling stressed due to looking at maps and getting lost time after time so I decided to sit down and enjoy the view. When I sat down to take in the entirety of the garden I felt so relaxed that I actually fell asleep. When I woke up my stress levels returned back to their normal levels and I felt restored to my body’s optimal state.
People relaxing around the pond at Jardin du Luxembourg
Sailboats at Jardin du Luxembourg
Walking down the street in London
Street in London lined with trees
According to Dr. White, from the European Centre for Environment and Human Health at the University of Exeter, “there is evidence that people within an area with green spaces are less stressed.” (BBC) After reading this, I decided to explore the idea of green space on a deeper level. Throughout my research, I discovered that green space has a significant impact on human well-being and that “positive effects of nature experience on physiological indicators including blood pressure, heart rate, brainwave patterns, muscle tension, stress hormone levels and even immune system functioning have been demonstrated” (Hartig et al., 2003; Park et al., 2010). In addition to physical well-being, a green environment affects mental well being in a positive way. There are two ideas being researched regarding the environment and mental well-being: stress recovery and attention restoration. Stress recovery is the idea that “rapid- onset emotional reactions are a critical part of the initial response to threats, mobilizing the body’s physiological systems and motivating “flight or flight” behavior” (Gilchrist). After this reaction the body starts to restore its self to its relaxed state and it is proven that being in a natural (green) environment the body tends to recover at a faster rate than if it was in a built environment. This is though to be due to the fact that, “we have spent millions of years evolving in natural environments and adapting to them, but have only lived in permanent settlements for a very short time in evolutionary terms” (Ulrich, 1993).
The second idea of attention restoration is the “concept that we have a finite capacity for focusing our attention, which becomes depleted with mental effort, causing a state of ‘attentional fatigue’ and a concomitant reduction in mental performance” (Gilchrist). Once we have exhausted our attentional resources our body needs restoration through acts such as sleep or relaxation. When our body is back to its normal state it can then begin to function at an optimal level once again. Green spaces or natural environments are the best places for the restoration of our body although they are not the only places that restoration can occur. In addition, green space has a positive correlation with physical exercise. This idea is known as green exercise. Green exercise is physical activity, such as walking, running, and hiking, that is conducted in a primarily green environment. “Such studies on green exercise have demonstrated that the environment does affect the psychological outcomes of exercise, with views of pleasant scenes, particularly of a green environment, having the greatest positive effect” (Pretty et al., 2005).
Example of green exercise
Example of green exercise
Throughout my travels I can attest to seeing many more individuals exercising in green spaces, such as parks, rather than in built environments. I don’t believe that many people know about “green exercise” but something in their unconscious drives them to choose to run in green space because it is helping their body destress. There is a plethora of research being done on the correlation between the environment and stress levels and I am going to look into whether or not organizations are utilizing this information to help their employees.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Barnett, Jeff. “Outdoor Exercise Beneficial to Mood and Self-Esteem.” Breaking Muscle. Breaking Muscle UK, n.d. Web. 3 Nov. 2015. <http://breakingmuscle.com/strength-conditioning/outdoor-exercise-beneficial-to-mood-and-self-esteem>.
HARTIG, T., EVANS, G.W., JAMNER, L.D., DAVIS, D.S. AND GÄRLING, T. (2003).
Tracking restoration in natural and urban field settings. Journal of Environmental Psychology 23, 109–123.
PRETTY, J., PEACOCK, J., SELLENS, M. AND GRIFFIN, M. (2005). The mental and
physical health outcomes of green exercise. International Journal of Environmental Health Research 15, 319–337.
ULRICH, R.S. (1993). Biophilia, biophobia, and natural landscapes. In: S. R. Kellert
and E. O. Wilson (eds.) The Biophilia Hypothesis. Island Press, Washington D.C., pp. 73–137.
Gilchrist, Kathryn. “Promoting Health and Wellbeing through
Schools.” (2010): n. pag. Web. 3 Nov. 2015. <http://www.forestry.gov.uk/pdf/Trees-people-and-the-buit- environment_Gilchrist.pdf/$FILE/Trees-people-and-the-buit- environment_Gilchrist.pdf>.
Gilchrist, Kathryn. “Promoting Health and Wellbeing through
Schools.” (2010): n. pag. Web. 3 Nov. 2015. <http://www.forestry.gov.uk/pdf/Trees-people-and-the-buit- environment_Gilchrist.pdf/$FILE/Trees-people-and-the-buit- environment_Gilchrist.pdf>.
“Is Green Exercise the Best Drug for Depression?” Instant Healthy Living. InstantHealthyLiving.com, 09 Mar. 2014. Web. 3 Nov. 2015. <http://www.instanthealthyliving.com/green-exercise-best-drug-depression/>.
Kinver, Mark. “Green Spaces Have Lasting Positive Effect on
Well-being – BBC News.” BBC News. BBC, 12 Jan. 2014. Web. 17 Nov. 2015. <http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-25682368>.