Mind-wandering and alterations to default mode network connectivity when listening to naturalistic versus artificial sounds

Abstract

Naturalistic environments have been demonstrated to promote relaxation and wellbeing. We assess opposing theoretical accounts for these effects through investigation of autonomic arousal and alterations of activation and functional connectivity within the default mode network (DMN) of the brain while participants listened to sounds from artificial and natural environments. We found no evidence for increased DMN activity in the naturalistic compared to artificial or control condition, however, seed based functional connectivity showed a shift from anterior to posterior midline functional coupling in the naturalistic condition. These changes were accompanied by an increase in peak high frequency heart rate variability, indicating an increase in parasympathetic activity in the naturalistic condition in line with the Stress Recovery Theory of nature exposure. Changes in heart rate and the peak high frequency were correlated with baseline functional connectivity within the DMN and baseline parasympathetic tone respectively, highlighting the importance of individual neural and autonomic differences in the response to nature exposure. Our findings may help explain reported health benefits of exposure to natural environments, through identification of alterations to autonomic activity and functional coupling within the DMN when listening to naturalistic sounds.

The aesthetic preference for nature sounds depends on sound object recognition

“…Assessing the degree to which the aesthetic preference for nature sounds is acoustically versus conceptually based will inform our understanding of several benefits associated with nature sounds, including perceived attention restoration and stress recovery (Ratcliffe, Gatersleben, & Sowden, 2013), improved post-operation recovery (Bauer et al, 2011), and neural connectivity changes reflecting an increase in parasympathetic activity (Gould van Praag et al, 2017), as all of these benefits could be argued to have an aesthetic component.…”

The Therapeutic Role of Guided Mental Imagery in Treating Stress and Insomnia: A Neuropsychological Perspective

“…Chronic stress leads to a state of sustained autonomic imbalance [48]. Such a mismatch due to the frenetic nature of modern life has led to maladaptations in the daily functioning of our autonomic nervous system due to stress, specifically a tendency towards the sympathetic mode which is evolutionarily purposed for short-term activation [49] [50].…”

“…The toxic and long-term arousal of the sympathetic system, a component of hyper-arousal, likely further promotes the development and maintenance of many modern cases of chronic distress [50], and Open Journal of Medical Psychology insomnia [38] [39]. Arousal stimulates the sympathetic nervous system and the sympathetic nervous system promotes arousal [48].…”

“…Considering visual mental imagery and perception of actual stimuli neurologically resemble one another as early as V1 [67], mental imagery of natural environments should promote identical relaxing effects. In addition to shifting the autonomic state toward the parasympathetic, naturalistic stimuli decrease functional connectivity in hubs of the default mode network corresponding to self-referential thought processes [48]. Thus, naturalistic mental imagery may attenuate ruminative self-referential neural activity which may be the source of many distressing, depressive, and arousing thoughts [85] [86] [87].…”

La ciudad: una visión desde la psicología ambiental

“…De manera reciente, destaca el interés del uso de la metodología neurocientífica para documentar fenómenos perceptuales asociados a la percepción ambiental y procesos psicológicos subyacentes (e.g. Gould van Praag et al, 2017;Martínez-Soto, Gonzales-Santos, Pasaye, & Barrios, 2013, Williams et al, 2018.…”