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Exposure to green and historic urban environments and mental well-being: Results from EEG and psychometric outcome measures

Reece, Rebecca; Bornioli, Anna; Bray, Isabelle; Alford, Chris

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Authors

Rebecca Reece

Anna Bornioli

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Issy Bray Issy.Bray@uwe.ac.uk
Associate Professor in Public Health (Epidemiology)



Contributors

Paul B. Tchounwou
Editor

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.

Citation

Reece, R., Bornioli, A., Bray, I., & Alford, C. (2022). Exposure to green and historic urban environments and mental well-being: Results from EEG and psychometric outcome measures. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(20), 13052. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192013052

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Oct 6, 2022
Online Publication Date Oct 11, 2022
Publication Date Oct 11, 2022
Deposit Date Oct 11, 2022
Publicly Available Date Mar 29, 2024
Journal International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
Print ISSN 1661-7827
Electronic ISSN 1660-4601
Publisher MDPI
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 19
Issue 20
Pages 13052
Series Title Place, Space and Mental Health
Series ISSN 1660-4601
DOI https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192013052
Keywords Article, green environments, historic environments, well-being, EEG, virtual exposure, restorative environments
Public URL https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/10036663
Publisher URL https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/19/20/13052
Related Public URLs https://www.mdpi.com/journal/ijerph/special_issues/place_space_mental_health

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