The restorative effects of mental imagery of nature: A study on subjective and physiological responses

IF 6.1 1区 心理学 Q1 ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES Journal of Environmental Psychology Pub Date : 2024-06-01 DOI:10.1016/j.jenvp.2024.102346
Mika Koivisto , Simone Grassini
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Abstract

Exposure to natural environments, whether real or virtual, has been demonstrated to have restorative effects. However, it is unclear whether these effects depend on the meanings and associations that individuals attribute to different environments. This study explored the restorative effects of mental imagery of nature (i.e., pure top-down processing) following cognitive stress induction. Fifty students participated in a within-subject study where they imagined the contents of nature and urban words for 5 min each. Self-rated measures indicated a stronger sense of subjective restoration following nature imagery compared to urban imagery. The heart rate was slower, and heart rate variability was larger during nature imagery than during urban imagery, suggesting a greater degree of relaxation with nature imagery. Both tonic and phasic electrodermal activity was stronger during the mental imagery of nature than urban contents. This difference was driven by a higher preference for nature over urban words, indicating that imagery of nature was associated with stronger positive arousal than urban imagery. Notably, participants’ reported connection to nature moderated some of the physiological responses. In conclusion, top-down processes and individual meanings and associations play a significant role in the positive effects of nature exposure. The results also indirectly support the inclusion of nature imagery as a cost-effective component of therapeutic techniques aimed at promoting relaxation.

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大自然心理想象的恢复效果:主观和生理反应研究
事实证明,接触自然环境,无论是真实环境还是虚拟环境,都能起到恢复身心的作用。然而,目前还不清楚这些效果是否取决于个人对不同环境所赋予的意义和联想。本研究探讨了在认知压力诱导后对大自然进行心理想象(即纯粹的自上而下处理)的恢复效果。50 名学生参加了一项主体内研究,他们分别对自然和城市词语的内容进行了 5 分钟的想象。自评测量结果显示,与城市想象相比,自然想象后的主观恢复感更强。与城市想象相比,自然想象时的心率更慢,心率变异性更大,这表明自然想象能让人更放松。在对大自然内容进行心理想象时,强直性和相位性皮电活动均强于城市内容。这种差异是由对自然而非城市词汇的更高偏好造成的,表明对自然的想象比对城市的想象具有更强的积极唤醒作用。值得注意的是,参与者所报告的与自然的联系调节了一些生理反应。总之,自上而下的过程以及个人的意义和联想在接触自然的积极效应中发挥了重要作用。研究结果还间接支持将自然意象作为旨在促进放松的治疗技术的一个具有成本效益的组成部分。
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来源期刊
CiteScore
10.60
自引率
8.70%
发文量
140
审稿时长
62 days
期刊介绍: The Journal of Environmental Psychology is the premier journal in the field, serving individuals in a wide range of disciplines who have an interest in the scientific study of the transactions and interrelationships between people and their surroundings (including built, social, natural and virtual environments, the use and abuse of nature and natural resources, and sustainability-related behavior). The journal publishes internationally contributed empirical studies and reviews of research on these topics that advance new insights. As an important forum for the field, the journal publishes some of the most influential papers in the discipline that reflect the scientific development of environmental psychology. Contributions on theoretical, methodological, and practical aspects of all human-environment interactions are welcome, along with innovative or interdisciplinary approaches that have a psychological emphasis. Research areas include: •Psychological and behavioral aspects of people and nature •Cognitive mapping, spatial cognition and wayfinding •Ecological consequences of human actions •Theories of place, place attachment, and place identity •Environmental risks and hazards: perception, behavior, and management •Perception and evaluation of buildings and natural landscapes •Effects of physical and natural settings on human cognition and health •Theories of proenvironmental behavior, norms, attitudes, and personality •Psychology of sustainability and climate change •Psychological aspects of resource management and crises •Social use of space: crowding, privacy, territoriality, personal space •Design of, and experiences related to, the physical aspects of workplaces, schools, residences, public buildings and public space
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