Urbanization means that a huge part of people in developed countries spend most of their lives in the cities, where life is fast-paced and stressful and access to green areas is often very limited. At the same time, we are observing more and more health problems, both mental and physical.
Many studies show that spending time in a natural environment – even in urban spaces – has a positive impact on well-being. Contact with nature improves the ability to cope with stress, negative emotions and unfavorable life events. The prevalence of depression and anxiety is also related to the amount of time spent in nature. It has even been shown that the number of prescriptions for antidepressants is lower in areas with more urban greenery.
However, the mechanisms related to the beneficial effects of nature on human well-being are still not well understood.
In psychology, mental health is often defined as the absence of disorders. However, according to the definition of the World Health Organization, health is not merely the absence of disease, but a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being. Therefore, in this project, apart from symptoms of anxiety and depression, we will check emotional functioning, sleep quality, amount of stress, life satisfaction and self-esteem.
Two studies will be conducted, each consisting of two parts, carried out at different times of the year (summer and winter).
The first study will consist of completing questionnaires regarding time spent in nature, nature connectedness, emotion regulation and broadly understood well-being.
In the second study, participants will additionally wear electronic devices for ten days to record their heart rate, sleep, physical activity, and time spent in nature. They will also report their mood throughout the day and whether they are in nature or a typical urban environment. In this way, we will combine self-reported data with objective measurements from the devices.
The results of this project will also be useful in planning activities to improve the health of city dwellers and designing urban spaces in such a way that they are as beneficial as possible for their users.
Project funded by the National Science Centre in Poland, project title: “Contact with nature and wellbeing: the role of nature connectedness, emotion regulation, and season of the year” (grant number 2023/49/B/HS6/03752).
