But there’s an important caveat, White adds: “If you have a break from work and you’ve only got half an hour, then a wild remote place is no use to you at all.” Urban parks and trees also produce positive outcomes. Just like a little exercise is better than none, we should take­ advantage of green and blue spaces wherever and whenever we can. That’s easier said than done, though, especially for people at a socioeconomic disadvantage. Poorer neighborhoods, White notes, are seldom the ones with leafy groves and ocean views. Smell can have profound effects on our mood, behavior, and cognition. Many natural odors are commonly found to be pleasant. For example, thoughts about the odors of flowers, cut grass, and damp earth, might evoke feelings of pleasure. However, there are also odors associated with information, such as the distaste we feel at the odor of rotting meat signaling its unpalatability. Some of the benefits of natural odors are the pleasant affective states they induce, as well as the warnings they have about potential toxicity. The odors of summer air (leaf alcohol) and bees wax have been shown experimentally to be associated with the emotion of happiness in participants [ 97], and in an experiment in a fragrant garden, “natural odors derived from blooming plants increased calmness, alertness, and mood” [ 98]. The natural odors of lavender and spiced apple have been shown to alter brain activity, and thus affect cognition as measured by EEG beta and theta waves, which show changes similar to those seen during cognitive tasks involving internal verbalization [ 99]. Our preferences for odors seem to be associated with the value we place on the objects associated with that odor [ 100], so smells that remind us of the outdoors can trigger any of the positive feelings we have about nature. Nature smells can thus function as a kind of trigger or symbol for nature in general and might deliver nature benefits by proxy. So while nature smells can have direct nature benefits, they can also have indirect nature benefits. Earth System Science for Global Sustainability: The Grand Challenges (International Council for Science, 2010).

urn:oclc:record:1045253695 Foldoutcount 0 Identifier experienceofnatu00kapl Identifier-ark ark:/13960/t7tm9w97z Invoice 47 Isbn 0521341396 Lccn 88031575 Ocr_converted abbyy-to-hocr 1.1.37 Ocr_module_version 0.0.21 Openlibrary_edition In another study, participants who recalled an awe experience placed less value on money than did participants who recalled a happy or neutral experience, and viewing awe-inducing images reduced the effort people were willing to put into getting money (where effort was measured by tolerance for listening to an unpleasant sound). According to Jonah Paquette, experiencing awe involves two components, vastness and transcendence. Vastness happens when we see something like a spectacular view or sunset, or are exposed to a concept such as the the infinite size of the universe, that is too incredible to fit into our current worldview, forcing us to expand our understanding of what is possible. Transcendence happens when we take in this new, awe-inspiring experience and try to make sense of it. From the present perspective it is difficult to believe that at the time we began this research program there were virtually no studies on the subject of this book. A great deal has happened since then, and the literature on the importance of nature is growing. In retrospect, we find ourselves surprised by the quantity of research we and our students have done in these two decades. The present volume focuses on this more or less coherent research program. Though we refer to the work of others as it seems pertinent, we have placed a higher priority on coherence and integration thBrowning, W. D., Ryan, C., Kallianpurkar, N., Laburto, L., Watson, S., Knop, T. (2012). The Economics of Biophilia, Why Designing with Nature in Mind Makes Financial Sense. New York: Terrapin Bright Green Although part I will be challenging for some readers, a detailed understanding of this more theoretical material is not essential to enjoying the book. And, despite the somewhat technical nature of the content, the writing is clear and free of jargon; even difficult concepts are presented in a relaxed, free-flowing style. Brown, D. K., Barton, J. L., Gladwell, V. F. (2013). Viewing nature scenes positively affects recovery of autonomic function following acute-mentalstress. Environ Sci Technol, 47:5562–9 There may also be value in trekking to remote locations. In a survey of 4,515 U.K. residents, White found that people reported more connection to nature and felt more restored after visiting rural and coastal locations than they did after spending time in urban green spaces. Areas deemed to be “high environmental quality”—such as nature reserves and protected habitats—were also more beneficial than areas with low biodiversity (Wyles, K.J., et al., Environment and Behavior, Vol. 51, No. 2, 2019). In other work, White and his colleagues found that people who watched nature videos with a diverse mix of flora and fauna reported lower anxiety, more vitality and better mood than those who watched videos featuring less biodiverse landscapes (Wolf, L.J., et al., PLOS ONE, Vol. 12, No. 1, 2017). Norton, B. C. Sustainability: A Philosophy of Adaptive Ecosystem Management 49 (Univ. Chicago Press, Chicago, 2005).

The multi-sensory aspect of nature experiences is crucial because monotony of stimulation can be a source of stress [ 11] and multimodal sensory input itself can drive positive mental states such as tranquility [ 12]. Indeed, it has been shown that stimulating multiple senses at the same time may possibly lead to additive beneficial effects of nature experiences [ 13]. For example, one study found that while a virtual nature environment was able to reduce stress in participants, these participants also felt negatively towards the virtual environment, and expressed a sense of missing the full sensory experience of real nature [ 14]. This example highlights the possible shortcomings of assuming visual delivery is the dominant pathway through which nature benefits are delivered. Pohl, C. & Hirsch Hadorn, G. Principles for Designing Transdisciplinary Research (Oekom, München, 2007). In the case of hearing, it would be interesting to partition different kinds of natural sounds to determine whether the benefits vary with the acoustic properties of the sounds (e.g., biophysical versus animal sounds or different kinds of bird song). Also, running experiments with visually-impaired individuals, such as exposing them to nature sounds, could provide insight into the nature benefits of sound. A biophilic landscape design in Shanghai, China By Kyle Saylor Hopkins B. S ., The Ohio State University, 2009 A thesis submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School of the University of Colorado in partial fulfillment of the requirements f or the de. (2014). As in the case of rotten meat and the disgust response to the smell, smells can provide us with useful information about the environment, or specific resources or organisms within it. In a study on humans, it was found that men and women could identify whether individuals were happy or fearful based on odor pads used to collect their sweat [ 101]. Natural odors from plants and animals such as floral fragrance and musk, are indicative of metabolism and physiological function [ 102], so smells can tell us about the state of possible food.Oliver, H., Victoria, J., & Eden, G. (2018). Creating positive spaces using biophilic design. https://globalwellnessinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/biophilicdesignguide-en.pdf. Lau, S.S.Y., Gou, Z., Liu, Y., (2014). Healthy camps by open space design: approach and guideline. Front Archit Res 3:452–467