Exposure to Green and Historic Urban Environments and Mental Well-Being: Results from EEG and Psychometric Outcome Measures

Abstract

Previous studies have identified the benefits of exposure to green or historic environments using qualitative methods and psychometric measures, but studies using a combination of measures are lacking. This study builds on current literature by focusing specifically on green and historic urban environments and using both psychological and physiological measures to investigate the impact of virtual exposure on well-being. Results from the psychological measures showed that the presence of historic elements was associated with a significantly stronger recuperation of hedonic tone (p = 0.01) and reduction in stress (p = 0.04). However, the presence of greenness had no significant effect on hedonic tone or stress. In contrast, physiological measures (EEG) showed significantly lower levels of alpha activity (p < 0.001) in occipital regions of the brain when participants viewed green environments, reflecting increased engagement and visual attention. In conclusion, this study has added to the literature by showing the impact that historic environments can have on well-being, as well as highlighting a lack of concordance between psychological and physiological measures. This supports the use of a combination of subjective and direct objective measures in future research in this field.

Nature in the Heart and Mind of the Beholder: Psycho-Emotional and EEG Differences in Perception of Virtual Nature Due to Gender

“…The combination of psychometric measures and EEG analysis has revealed the lack of concordance in them with respect to experience from experimental videos. Existing research notes restoration of hedonic tone and stress reduction as a result of viewing historical elements in the architecture of the city without a significant effect on self-reported mental state of the presence of greenery, which, however, was accompanied by lower levels of alpha activity in the occipital regions of the brain as a reflection of visual attention [ 9 ]. Correspondingly, although VR technologies have been highly praised, their final effectiveness for cognitive training or emotional healing is not guaranteed and deserves fair-minded studies.…”

Special Issue: Place, Space, and Mental Health

“…The participants identified social and physical environmental features in their neighbourhoods that elicited both positive and negative emotions, and relatedly, reflected on their mental health. The papers by Zhang et al [ 7 ] and Reece et al [ 8 ] focused on immediate responses to outdoor scenes with the presence of greenery and historical or heritage value. Zhang et al [ 7 ] found that the proportion of grass and water in a heritage landscape predicts emotional responses to historical landscapes and observed that deep-learning facial recognition was able to detect more subtle changes in valence than self-reported measures.…”

“…Zhang et al [ 7 ] found that the proportion of grass and water in a heritage landscape predicts emotional responses to historical landscapes and observed that deep-learning facial recognition was able to detect more subtle changes in valence than self-reported measures. Reece et al [ 8 ] found that the presence of historical elements—but not greenery—was associated with self-reported emotional responses to outdoor urban settings, whereas brain activity responded more clearly to greenery. Focusing on transitional spaces between indoor and outdoor settings, which have received little research attention so far, Li et al [ 9 ] concluded that viewing curved elements in these spaces reduced both physiological and psychological stress more than viewing linear elements.…”

“…Diverse qualitative methods were applied via in-depth interviews with adults who had encountered a natural disaster, i.e., a flash flood, in Ellicott City, USA [ 5 ] and via photo-elicited focus group discussions for young women living in slums of Kampala, Uganda [ 6 ]. Three experimental studies in this collection utilised state-of-the-art technological tools in either developing environmental stimuli (immersive virtual reality scenarios [ 9 ]), processing environmental stimuli (Google Street View images analysed with deep learning algorithms [ 7 ]), or measuring responses to environmental stimuli (brain activity by EEG [ 8 ]).…”

“…In addition, this collection exemplifies the different physical and social domains and scales that are present in our everyday lives. The importance of public open and recreational spaces for the promotion of mood and mental health was examined by Bernat et al [ 3 ], Reece et al [ 8 ], and Zhang et al [ 7 ]. Swahn et al [ 6 ] and Chan et al [ 5 ] assessed the role of communities in the wider environmental and social context.…”