Promoting Healthy Decision-Making via Natural Environment Exposure: Initial Evidence and Future Directions

Neighbourhood greenspace and smoking prevalence: Results from a nationally representative survey in England

“…Notably, exposure to natural environments has been associated with: reductions in stress (Roe et al, 2013), craving (Martin et al, 2019), impulsivity (Kuo, Tyler and Sullievan, 2002) and temporal discounting (Berry et al, 2014;2020). As improvements across these domains are also associated with successful smoking cessation (Barlow, McKee, Reeves, Galea & Stuckler, 2016;Muraven, 2010;Killen & Fortmann, 1997), future research might usefully explore these potential mediating pathways.…”

“…Psychological stress is a robust predictor of smoking uptake and cessation (Wellman et al, 2018) and there is now a considerable body of evidence demonstrating that neighbourhood greenspace is associated with reductions in stress (Roe et al, 2013;Van den Berg, Maas, Verheij & Groenewegen, 2010;). Furthermore, exposure to natural environments has been associated with various cognitive processes such as better self-control (Kuo and Faber Taylor, 2004), lower temporal discounting (Berry et al, 2014;2020), and reduced craving (Martin, Pahl, White & May, 2019), all factors that independently predict smoking cessation (Barlow, McKee, Reeves, Galea & Stuckler, 2016;Killen & Fortmann, 1997;Muraven, 2010). Thus, neighbourhood greenspace could influence smoking prevalence through an inter-play of cognitive and affective pathways.…”

“…Despite experimental evidence demonstrating behavioural improvements following exposure to natural environments (Berry et al, 2014;2020;Wang et al 2017), it cannot be ruled out that individuals already exhibiting healthier lifestyles selectively migrate towards more natural settings. Second, results are based on self-report data.…”

Go Greener, Less Risk: Access to Nature Is Associated with Lower Risk Taking in Different Domains during the COVID-19 Lockdown

“…In this study, we focus on the beneficial role of access to nature on both passive risk taking and risky health behavior, such as alcohol intake during home confinement. In particular, we hypothesized that nature, for its already documented effect on important precursors and correlates of risky decisions, would exert a role in lowering such negative outcomes [78]. Specifically, we formulate two hypotheses.…”

“…However, despite the flourishing proliferation of pieces of evidence in this area, no studies have been conducted so far to explore the role of greenery in important risky attitude and behavior, both before and after the outbreak of the COVID-19. In this regard, studies conducted before the outbreak of the pandemic reported the beneficial effect of green spaces in lowering future and delay discounting [73][74][75][76] and enhancing self-control [77], all important components of risk taking [78] and strictly related to behavioral addictions [73,74,79]. Regarding this latter, through its potential to reduce negative affect, nature immersion has been associated with fewer feelings of craving, an important antecedent of risky health behaviors [80].…”