Search

Understanding how activities in natural settings, such as gardening, improve health and well‐being is important for designing nature‐based health interventions.Our study focused on a sociodemographic‐diverse group of new gardeners (n = 34) who had participated for one season in the community gardens as part of the Denver Urban Gardens initiative in Denver, CO USA. New gardeners participated in semi‐structured qualitative interviews to determine how and why gardening influenced their well‐being. Interview transcripts were analysed iteratively using grounded theory and comparative case study methodologies.Analysis revealed that new gardeners' previous gardening experience, social support systems and overcoming gardening challenges increased gardening engagement and improved outcomes. Within‐garden outcomes that were nearly universally experienced by new gardeners included food production, physical activity in the garden and a 'gardening triad': (1) caretaking, nurturance or love and sense of responsibility for garden plants; (2) feelings of accomplishment, success and pride and (3) connection to nature including appreciation, restoration and wonder.We found that the elements of the 'gardening triad' were meaningful to gardeners and connected to both continued engagement of participants and others in the garden, and social and emotional well‐being outcomes including new and/or strengthened social relationships; purpose and meaning; self‐learning, self‐worth and confidence; joy, immersion, restoration and respite; and management of mental health conditions. Gardening with others, including other gardeners, garden leaders, friends and family, amplified the well‐being effects of the 'gardening triad.'Identification of the 'gardening triad' expands understanding of the salient health‐promoting characteristics of gardening beyond simple exposure to nature, food production and physical activity. It embeds gardeners in relationship with their gardens as active participants eliciting universal emotional processes which, in turn, manifested as improved social and emotional well‐being. Gardening, as an avenue for improving well‐being, should be supported widely. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vandalism and environmental degradation pose challenges in natural recreation areas, prompting the need for interventions to promote environmental consciousness and nature appreciation. This study investigates the role of knowledge and perceived value in enhancing ecological experiences. A five-point Likert scale survey was distributed to 235 visitors at Djuanda Forest Park in Bandung, Indonesia. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM-PLS) was employed to analyze direct and indirect influences. The results demonstrate that enhancing ecological perceived value positively impacts visitors' interactions with nature. Moreover, increased actual knowledge regarding environmental degradation enhances the perceived value of outdoor recreation in natural settings. These findings highlight the importance of developing educational programs in natural recreation areas to support sustainable environmental practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Strengthening community engagement in stewardship can help to improve management of coastal and freshwater environments (blue spaces). Research suggests that recreational users of natural areas may be more willing to engage in stewardship. However, little research at a population scale has examine how recreation experiences shape psychological ingredients for stewardship.We surveyed 3271 residents of South East Queensland, Australia and quantified willingness to engage in blue space stewardship. We then quantified frequency of different types of blue space recreation, perceptions about threats to blue spaces (threat appraisal) and protective actions (coping appraisal), and satisfaction with blue spaces. We then examined pathways from recreation to stewardship intentions using mediation analysis.Results show that many types of recreation were associated with stewardship intentions. Specifically, higher frequency of social activities and nature‐appreciation activities were associated with greater intentions for individual stewardship (e.g. picking up litter, reducing use of household chemicals). Higher frequency of social activities, nature appreciation, exercise and fishing/boating was associated with stronger intentions for collective stewardship (e.g. attending a public meeting or riparian management event)Mediation analysis showed that most forms of recreation did not influence perceptions about severity of threats to blue spaces. Rather, the relationships between recreation and stewardship were mediated by greater place satisfaction, perceived vulnerability to blue space degradation, and feeling more able to contribute to waterway protection (efficacy).These findings indicate that many types of recreation (not just nature appreciation activities) can be a foundation for engaging in nature stewardship, and reinforce the importance of building efficacy when promoting stewardship. The finding that both place satisfaction and perceived vulnerability to environmental degradation suggests that there may be an optimal motivational window for stewardship: people need to connect a place with positive experiences, and have some recognition of a potential threat, but where the potential threat has not yet eroded the natural values of a place. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nature observations are at the core of both nature-based tourism and citizen science. The movement limitations associated with the Covid-19 pandemic have created a window during which tourism nose-dived, but online citizen science platforms flourished primarily through the posting of 'backyard' observations. Beyond citizen science, a return to nature during this period appears to have been important in supporting mental health, especially in city dwellers, and this has resulted in a renewed interest in studying nature appreciation. Here I attempt to bring together these different facets of nature watching research, defined by divergent philosophical underpinning and following different methodologies. I use the findings of tourism and citizen science studies to summarize observer motivations, and place these in a nature appreciation framework. I argue that this framework can be used towards maintaining a balance between diverse goals: reducing observer biases in citizen science, enhancing observer experience in nature-based tourism, and maximizing the therapeutic effects of being exposed to nature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The short-term impacts of outdoor orientation programs (OOPs) have been documented in the literature for close to 40 years. While there is a fair amount of research examining the immediate effects of OOPs, there are relatively few studies exploring long-term impacts. Purpose: This study examined the important longitudinal "lessons learned" from participating in an OOP. Methodology/Approach: This study utilized a retrospective qualitative approach and employed the Most Significant Change technique to understand meaningful lessons learned. Alumni from an OOP participated in semi-structured interviews. Thematic analyses included open coding, focused coding, and axial coding. Findings/Conclusions: Primary themes that emerged from the coding process included community and social connections, mental health and well-being and environmental appreciation and value of nature. Participants reported learning valuable lessons related to community building, coping, stress relief, resiliency and thriving, and connection with nature. Implications: Results provide evidence supporting positive long-term effects of OOPs. A particular highlight is how participants noted the OOP helped shape their "favourite self" years after their university experience. Researchers and practitioners can use these results to inform OOP curricula and to include in program marketing and lobbying efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We conducted three studies to examine how two types of user-generated feedback, appreciation and attention, affect users' decisions to make voluntary knowledge contributions to electronic networks of practice (ENPs). Appreciation is reflected in positive ratings, votes, and helpfulness evaluations. Attention is reflected in the number of views of contributed content. The first study used clickstream data from a college application ENP in China, where information seekers can read posted information asynchronously and request synchronous consultations with volunteers. The second study was a controlled online experiment in the United States where we assessed users' willingness to answer questions in a college application ENP asynchronously. The third study examined knowledge contribution across a diverse set of topics using a well-established ENP that serves more than 100 countries. In all three studies, the results consistently show that greater appreciation increased continued knowledge contribution, but greater attention without sufficient appreciation negatively affected contributions. Our findings show the theoretically intertwined nature of attention and appreciation and offer insights for the design and management of ENP feedback systems to encourage user contributions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Educational travel, and in particular study abroad programs, are generally beneficial to students, but less is known about impacts on the communities in which they are located. This study explores such impacts for a small rural community in Costa Rica that has hosted dozens of ecotourism and study abroad programs. Sixteen interviews were conducted in the community to explore the social and cultural rewards and costs of these programs, including cultural changes such as increases in community members speaking English, availability of drugs and alcohol, appreciation of nature, and adoption of sustainable living practices. We analyze these impacts by examining common programmatic assumptions about study abroad and borrowing biological constructs of symbiosis to diagram the potential trade-offs and costs for the local community – as the basis for developing more mutualistic, decolonized programs in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the field of neuroscience, brain–computer interfaces (BCIs) are used to connect the human brain with external devices, providing insights into the neural mechanisms underlying cognitive processes, including aesthetic perception. Non-invasive BCIs, such as EEG and fNIRS, are critical for studying central nervous system activity and understanding how individuals with cognitive deficits process and respond to aesthetic stimuli. This study assessed twenty participants who were divided into control and impaired aging (AI) groups based on MMSE scores. EEG and fNIRS were used to measure their neurophysiological responses to aesthetic stimuli that varied in pleasantness and dynamism. Significant differences were identified between the groups in P300 amplitude and late positive potential (LPP), with controls showing greater reactivity. AI subjects showed an increase in oxyhemoglobin in response to pleasurable stimuli, suggesting hemodynamic compensation. This study highlights the effectiveness of multimodal BCIs in identifying the neural basis of aesthetic appreciation and impaired aging. Despite its limitations, such as sample size and the subjective nature of aesthetic appreciation, this research lays the groundwork for cognitive rehabilitation tailored to aesthetic perception, improving the comprehension of cognitive disorders through integrated BCI methodologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Children's interest in nature is crucial for their understanding and appreciation of the natural environment, as well as for their mental health and biodiversity conservation efforts. To foster this interest, it is important to establish a theoretical framework and explore practical applications. Given the current trend of children spending more time with screens and less time in nature, school gardens offer potential solutions.This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of a 4‐month teaching programme conducted in a school garden to promote children's individual interest in nature. 24 Grade‐4 students participated in weekly 40‐min activities, which were divided into three treatments: natural observation with assigned tasks, natural observation with open‐ended tasks and inquiry‐based activities. Participants maintained individual portfolios consisting of questionnaires, nature journals, observation descriptions and interviews. Qualitative and quantitative data were analysed to categorize children into three types: those with initiated interest, those with enhanced interest and those with no significant change. Thematic analysis was used to identify factors influencing children's interest in nature based on qualitative data.The results showed that 17 out of 24 children were classified as either 'interest‐initiated' or 'interest‐enhanced', indicating a generally positive outcome. The school garden provided a novel and safe environment that empowered children to learn and explore autonomously. Teacher scaffolding further supported their curiosity towards the garden's organisms, potentially leading to the development of their individual interests in nature.This study emphasizes the positive impact of involving children in garden‐based activities in primary schools. Implementing a diverse school garden with informative labels and explanation boards, along with teacher support, represents a promising approach to cultivating children's interest in nature. We recommend implementing mini botanical gardens and club activities in schools to bridge formal and informal education. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the arid southwestern U.S., urban greening strategies have been promoted to alleviate ecosystem disservices associated with lawns, including the adoption of xeric yards with desert-adapted floras and gravel groundcover and wildlife-friendly yards with complex vegetation structure and composition. Scant studies have investigated the extent of different vegetation changes in urban greening practices and the complexity of associated human drivers. We addressed this gap by analyzing survey data from two survey periods (2017 and 2021) to answer the following questions: to what extent have residents from metropolitan Phoenix made different vegetation changes in their yards over the last decade, and how do multi-scalar human drivers affect different vegetation changes? We found a sustainable trajectory for residential vegetation changes in Phoenix since mid-2010s, with declining additions of grass and increases in trees and desert plants across residential neighborhoods. Esthetics was an influential driver of both tree planting and native gardening. Additionally, tree planting was associated with anthropocentric values (i.e., low-maintenance needs), while desert plant additions reflected the appreciation of nature (i.e., attitudes towards the desert) and environmental concerns (i.e., supporting wildlife). Institutions such as local government programs might shape residents' vegetation choices, as tree planting differed among municipalities. We also found counterintuitive influences of residential tenure controls on landscaping decisions. Specifically, renters were more likely to add yard trees compared to homeowners. Our results inform landscape sustainability by identifying potential pathways to residential yard changes that offer a multitude of services while being appreciated and maintained by residents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper departs from the observation that the role of migrant organisations (MOs) in Germany has changed significantly since the strong influx of refugees in 2015/16. As a result of this specific historical situation, it seems that MOs were able to strengthen their position as important civil society and integration policy actors and reduce reservations about them. While there has been growing attention on MOs' civic and social contributions, both in public and academic debates, this article also highlights the risks of failure and inflated expectations and the often rather fragile structures of MOs. Thus, the article aims to broaden the view on MOs by focusing on aspects which have been neglected in the course of recent public and academic interest and rather optimistic perceptions. The methodological approach is one of "embedded research": the author has been a senior executive of one of the largest German MOs for six years and, at the same time, a migration researcher for many years. From this special inside/outside view, an ambivalent picture emerges: despite a significantly greater appreciation of the achievements of MOs and much verbal recognition, there is a clear lack of the necessary material/structural support, jeopardising the sustainability and viability of many MOs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

External effects significantly affect Arctic tourism. This not only relates to climate change proposing a long-term threat but also other events, like the COVID pandemic. Small regional business active in Arctic tourism is forced to adapt to this reality and cannot escape from the consequences. The study aims to evaluate the situation from the perspective of the small- and medium-sized companies, representing the backbone of Arctic tourism. It focuses not only on the challenges that the pandemic has created but also those that lay ahead because of an inevitable climate change. The semi-structured interviews conducted in northern Norway provide new perspectives for businesses based on changes in traveler behavior and the subsequent adjustment in the touristic offering, as presented in the research. With the emerging trends of more individualized offers and social bonding during travel, the future of Arctic tourism no longer has to rely on adventure activities. A holistic appreciation of nature and culture by tourists provides the opportunity for a more resilient and less climate-dependent touristic product. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nature observations are at the core of both nature-based tourism and citizen science. The movement limitations associated with the Covid-19 pandemic have created a window during which tourism nose-dived, but online citizen science platforms flourished primarily through the posting of ‘backyard’ observations. Beyond citizen science, a return to nature during this period appears to have been important in supporting mental health, especially in city dwellers, and this has resulted in a renewed interest in studying nature appreciation. Here I attempt to bring together these different facets of nature watching research, defined by divergent philosophical underpinning and following different methodologies. I use the findings of tourism and citizen science studies to summarize observer motivations, and place these in a nature appreciation framework. I argue that this framework can be used towards maintaining a balance between diverse goals: reducing observer biases in citizen science, enhancing observer experience in nature-based tourism, and maximizing the therapeutic effects of being exposed to nature.

Unprecedented urbanisation in the Global South is transforming natural urban landscapes, impacting on the ability of nature to provide essential ecosystem services.Within the context of pressures facing many urban natural open spaces, particularly in Africa, we used a local municipality in South Africa as a case study to (i) identify local government priorities for a natural open space system; (ii) develop an understanding of whether, and how, ecosystem services are considered by local government, and the reasons thereof; and (iii) ascertain the extent of proactive planning regarding regulating and other ecosystem services, including the temporal and spatial scales, and implications. In‐depth qualitative interviews (n = 12) were undertaken with senior municipal officials representing departments whose work impacts the environment. Municipal decision‐support documents were also analysed for any direct and/or indirect references to ecosystem services.Planning for, and management of, ecosystem services provided by natural open spaces is influenced by interwoven infrastructure, municipal service delivery and equity challenges, complex institutional constraints and poverty, with little focus on the socio‐economic opportunities and other benefits of natural open space systems. Values, perceptions and knowledge also influence the management of ecosystem services.The study contributes to understanding the opportunities and challenges for the future governance of natural open space in the Global South, which require explicit consideration in municipal planning, management and budgeting processes.Policy and management implications identified include prioritisation of the regulating functions provided by natural open space systems, pivotal to the urban resilience agenda; building on the inherent appreciation of nature features as city assets, while achieving socio‐economic upliftment; improved (on‐site) collaborative management of natural open spaces; and involvement of local government officials in the preparation and updating of environmental policies and decision‐support documents, to ensure skills and knowledge transfer and interest are entrenched in local government departments. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In terms of institutional positioning, the quartet of Indo‐Pacific states – Australia, India, Japan, and the United States – firmly endorse ASEAN. 'ASEAN centrality' is clearly highlighted in all Quad statements. Yet, the Quad presents an organizational and substantive challenge to the core institutional model of ASEAN. This competitive dynamic, with respect to style of associational methods (the how) as opposed to organizational purpose (the why), has not received the scholarly attention it deserves. If the literature does focus on the comparative approaches of ASEAN and the Quad, the prism is for the most part targeted on the differences with respect to the engagement with China. Our analysis is different and emphasizes the contrast between two types of institutional informality exhibited by ASEAN and the Quad. By situating our analysis in the context of contested informality, we point out that both ASEAN and the Quad are signposts showing that the foundational privilege of formal international organizations is under stress, albeit from a wide range of institutional designs. Only by detailing and evaluating the critical divergence in modes of informality can an appreciation of the nature and impact of the contest between ASEAN and the Quad be fully understood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Cuadernos de Política Criminal is the property of Dykinson SL and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This document is a collection of abstracts from the International Journal of Psychology, covering various topics related to psychology and the arts. One abstract discusses the role of aesthetic education in developing psychomotor skills, while another explores the relationship between artistic work and the Rorschach test. Additional abstracts examine gender differences and chronic stress in music undergraduates, the effects of expressive arts-based intervention on traumatized adolescents, and the impact of aesthetic education on cognitive development. There are also abstracts on the classification and consistency of Indian musical modes, the aesthetic appreciation of haiku poetry, and the impact of musical impressing on individuals and society. The article specifically focuses on the art form called Aitys, analyzing its psychological nature and its ability to foster skills needed in the modern market world. It emphasizes the communicative and interactive aspects of Aitys, highlighting its role in promoting creative thinking and creating a sense of ethnic unity among Kazakh young people. [Extracted from the article]

In the past decade, Bangladesh has made a shift to becoming an authoritarian state. What happens to everyday speech within the context of state repression and censorship? I take up this question by exploring the nature and fate of 'overhearing' as a mode of speaking, most often prefaced by, 'I heard that,' or 'this is heard speech,' among the underprivileged denizens of the chars in the Jamuna River during the 2014 National Elections. The interest in drawing attention to overhearing, as opposed to eavesdropping or rumouring to which overhearing bears a resemblance, is to highlight a mode of speaking that stands to fall victim to the disciplining of speech currently underway in Bangladesh. In disciplining overhearing we stand to loose a practice, which, despite being intermittent and ephemeral, espouses an aesthetic sensibility and extends socio-religious judgments into the realm of nature, increasing the scope for political critique. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nurturing a sense of environmental stewardship fosters an understanding of the delicate balance that sustains life on Earth and inspires responsible actions for a sustainable future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores Moritz Geiger's work on the role of emotions in aesthetic appreciation and shows its potential for contemporary research. Drawing on the main tenets of Geiger's phenomenological aesthetics as an aesthetics of value, the paper begins by elaborating his model of aesthetic appreciation. I argue that, placed in the contemporary debate, his model is close to affective models which make affective states responsible for the apprehension of the aesthetic value of an artwork, though Geiger also makes important concessions to the intellectualist. Like proponents of the affective model, Geiger argues that a work's aesthetic values are extracted by means of an affective state, more precisely, a "liking". However, like the intellectualist, he considers that a focus on the emotions might interfere in the aesthetic appreciation of the artwork. Next, I reconstruct Geiger's distinction between surface and depth effects in terms of a distinction between two types of emotional responses to artworks. It is argued that Geiger offers a powerful tool to distinguish those emotions that are intrinsically related to aesthetic values from those that are not and that this distinction can be useful to understand how different kinds of emotions contribute to aesthetic appreciation. I examine the historical sources of Geiger's distinction in Theodor Lipps's aesthetics and compare Geiger's account with the works of other early phenomenologists. In the final part, I illustrate the place of Geiger's model in the contemporary discussion by means of an example. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article looks at the eighteenth-century ways of thinking about nature in connection with sociability and retirement by juxtaposing some of the poetry of the period with the discourses concerned with gardens and the aesthetics of garden design. In the writings of Anthony Ashley Cooper, 3rd Earl of Shaftesbury, Joseph Addison, William Gilpin, Elizabeth Montagu, and William Shenstone, the interest in the value of retirement as a much-needed respite from polite society is accompanied with some concern about the dangers of inactivity and idleness. Nature is thus supposed to offer an appropriately shaded, harmonious environment that provides spiritual reinvigoration and cultivation of taste, away from the tumult of urban crowds. In the poetry of Thomas Gray and William Blake, in turn, one may notice the evocation of nature as a more disturbing force, which, rather than merely confirming to the taste for harmony, seems to challenge some of the premises of polite culture. Paying attention to aesthetic thought, cultural history and poetic discourse, the article provides some insights into the complexity of the eighteenth-century aesthetics of nature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Conhecimento & Diversidade is the property of Conhecimento & Diversidade and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This essay will attempt to show how we can best understand the 《诗经》 Shijing poem 《将仲子》 Qiang Zhongzi from an aesthetic perspective grounded in The Analects. The first section analyses the structure, themes, and form of Qiang Zhongzi to frame the interpretation of its ethical content. The second section outlines some key Confucian commitments around the ethical nature of aesthetic appreciation and delineates a Confucian aesthetic framework based on key passages from The Analects. The third section looks at the interpretations provided by Wen (2020) and argues that none of these interpretations completely do justice to the poem. The fourth and final section critically explores what the best potential interpretation of Qiang Zhongzi might be from the perspective of The Analects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To understand the internal structure of moral positions and the nature of moral disagreements, it would be useful to have a "moral sense" model of our different types of moral sensitivity, from our relatively spontaneous friendliness to our appreciation for traditional community norms, ideal ethical norms, and spiritual appeals to ultimate concern. After the first round of modern moral sense theory in Shaftesbury, Hutcheson, and Edwards, most discussions of the moral sense concept have centered on general theses about moral value (objective or subjective, rational or emotional) without attending to this complexity. Even though the familiar positions in these discussions are not reconcilable on the plane of ethical theory, they need not be seen as simply antagonistic. Working with clearly differentiated senses of both "moral" and "sense," this article refashions "moral sense theory" as a way of placing the insights of the classic moral sense theories, ethical rationalism, and a distinctly spiritual sensibility in a conceptually stable and empirically more discriminating order. The article also suggests strengthening the realist premise of moral sensing by invoking the model of a game player's operational sense of how things are going in pursuit of a game's objectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Larq Journal for Philosophy, Linguistics & Social Sciences is the property of Republic of Iraq Ministry of Higher Education & Scientific Research (MOHESR) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

There is a growing trend across the social sciences to engage with archives. Within human geography, this has stimulated a debate about the nature of archives, including moving from considering 'archive as source' to 'archive as subject.' We build on and extend this thinking, suggesting that an even more active appreciation of the dynamic nature of relationships between researchers, owners of records, and archival material is needed. This paper draws on an interdisciplinary study of voluntary action and welfare provision in England in the 1940s and 2010s to highlight how the different iterative processes involved in collaborative archival research are part of what we call co‐curation. Co‐curation involves the negotiated identification, selection, preparation, and interpretation of archival materials. This has implications for both research processes and outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Psychological work on well-being has long emphasized happiness, sometimes described as "pleasure", and also eudaimonia, sometimes described as "flourishing", and typically taken to involve, as a constituent feature, a sense of "meaning." We can also find an implicit recognition of the importance of the desire for variety, and sometimes to opt, with policies that seem to be motivated by a set of "noncommodity values", again linked with broadcasting policy, social media policy, policies relating to artificial intelligence, and cultural policies in general. Equally fundamentally, they might aim to promote psychological richness through multiple kinds of interventions in the broad domain of what we might call "cultural policy", including the provision of museums, broadcasting policy, social media policy, cultural exchange, travel opportunities, adult education, and job training. As I have described their situations, Margaret, Susan, Frank, and Larry now have psychologically richer lives, and that may be one reason that they are glad to have opted. [Extracted from the article]

We suggest an evolutionary based explanation for why humans are preoccupied with aesthetic aspects of visual input. Briefly, humans evolved to be swayed by positive and negative feelings in the form of rewards and punishments, and to pursue situations that induce rewards, even when the feeling is not sufficiently strong to be recognized as a reward. The brain is designed to offer rewards when a person focuses on certain types of visual stimuli. For example, warm colors are typically pleasant because they are associated with edible fruits, and complex images appeal to curiosity. At some point people began exploiting these types of brain rewards by beautifying objects and creating art. The utility of objects, and the associative (or communicative) aspects of art, may dominate the design, but the artist tends to add aesthetic elements. These elements imply visual aspects that do not add to the functional value or evoke memories or associations based on easily recognized features in the picture. The adaptive rationale for the rewards offered by the aesthetic elements should help explain human aesthetic appreciation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While victimization is as old as human history, the notion of victimhood as currently understood is a relatively recent phenomenon. Over the last several decades, the notion of victimhood has been increasing discussed both within academia and the wider public, a trend that has intensified in recent years. In order to gain a clearer vision of this social phenomenon, the current piece follows the lead of Georg Simmel, and identifies a new Simmelian social type—the Victim. After discussing Simmel's understanding of social types and tracing the origins of the Victim, we examine some of the characteristics of this new social type. While the Victim is best understood on a high level of abstraction—as are all social types—a richer appreciation of the emergence and nature of the Victim will help us to better understand current discussions around victimhood in both academia and the wider public. These philosophical and sociological reflections on the nature of the Victim can thus be of help for better understanding a social phenomenon of considerable importance in today's world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The connection between humans and nature seems to be one of increasing alienation. The use of digital technology, especially its problematic use, may affect this ongoing alienation. This study seeks to investigate how and when problematic technology use is associated with the human-nature connection, especially the emotional connection. Specifically, the study examined the mediating role played by presence and the moderating role played by openness with respect to the association between problematic mobile phone use (PMPU) and aesthetic emotion with nature (AEWN). A sample of 891 participants completed a battery of self-report questionnaires measuring PMPU, AEWN, presence, and openness. The results showed that PMPU was negatively associated with AEWN, and that this association was partially mediated by presence. In addition, openness moderated both the direct relationship between PMPU and AEWN and the indirect relationship between those factors via presence. These two effects were weaker for individuals with higher levels of openness. The current study provides new evidence concerning the negative influence of escalating digital technology use on the emotional connection to nature and contributes to the literature by uncovering the mechanisms underlying this influence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Green exercise (physical activity in presence of nature) has beneficial effects for health and wellbeing. Green exercise is a popular form of recreation in the Nordic countries, but participation is lower among the immigrant population from non-Western countries. However, no attention has been given to immigrants from the European Economic Area regarding this topic. Given the cultural and structural differences that surround green exercise in Italy and Norway, the case of the Italian immigrants in Norway is of interest to enrich our understanding of green exercise and its significance for health and wellbeing among immigrants in the Nordic countries. Methods: This convergent mixed methods study investigated the pathways that link green exercise to health and wellbeing among Italian immigrants in Norway. Quantitative data were collected through an online survey (n = 321), which was oversampled to better reflect the sociodemographic profile of the reference population. Logistic regression was used to model the association of green exercise with self-rated health (SRH) or satisfaction with life (SWL) before and after controlling for selected confounders (age, gender, educational level, language proficiency, social support, and childhood experiences with green exercise). Qualitative data were collected through semi-structured in-depth interviews (n = 14) and analysed thematically. Merging of the two strands was done using a simultaneous bidirectional approach. Results: The logistic regression found a significant bivariate association of green exercise with both SRH and SWL, though the association remained significant only for SWL after controlling for confounders. From the thematic analysis, three themes were identified: Green exercise opportunities contributing to overall satisfaction, Closeness to nature, and Embracing a new lifestyle. The integrated findings indicate that green exercise supported the immigrants' wellbeing, especially by providing stress relief, though socioeconomic status and acculturation may have a major impact on general health. Familiarity, appreciation of nature benefits, social support, and acculturation were identified as facilitating factors. Conclusions: This study provides novel insights into how green exercise supports health, wellbeing, and inclusion among immigrants to the Nordic countries and emphasizes the importance of developing culturally adapted strategies to enhance this health-promoting activity among immigrant populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Malaysian music was influenced by British, Portuguese, Indian, and Chinese cultures, which created syncretic music. Aesthetics values strengthen the existence of syncretic music by molding taste and interest among the listeners. It somehow creates various feelings whether to appreciate, accept, or against the music, further developing musical preferences among individuals. Exploring aesthetic values in popular and traditional music is crucial as many cultures have influenced Malaysia due to colonization, trading, wedding, and migration. This paper reviews on Malaysian syncretic music, the aesthetic values in Malaysian popular and traditional music, and the influence factors of Malaysian music. It is found that there was a confluence of various intercultural musical elements in the early era, while assimilation has taken place due to traditional Malay rhythmic patterns and traditional folk themes. This led to the Malaysian conception of music and musical composition, creating the idea that Malaysian music has drastically expanded its artistic resources since the pre-colonial era. We also found communities living in the pre-modern or modern era have different unique taste in the aesthetic characteristics. Despite this, most remote communities are compelled to participate in postmodernity in some way due to the globalization of media, capital, and mobile networks. These combinations result in many theories, concepts, and discourses that enrich aesthetic values in Malaysian syncretic music. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this part of the article, we briefly review and illustrate the different explanatory frameworks used in modern physics within the acceptable reasoning modes in science (reviewed in the first part). This can help students improve their appreciation of the nature of physics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Psychedelic experiences have been shown to both facilitate (re)connection to one’s values and change values, including enhancing aesthetic appreciation, promoting pro-environmental attitudes, and encouraging prosocial behavior. This article presents an empirically informed framework of philosophical psychology to understand how self-transcendence relates to psychedelic value changes. Most of the observed psychedelic value changes are toward the selftranscendent values of Schwartz’s value theory. As psychedelics also reliably cause various self-transcendent experiences (STEs), a parsimonious hypothesis is that STEs change values toward self-transcendent values. I argue that STEs indeed can lead to value changes, and discuss the morally relevant process of selftranscendence through Iris Murdoch’s concept of “unselfing”. I argue that overt egocentric concerns easily bias one’s valuations. Unselfing reduces egocentric attributions of salience and enhances non-egocentric attention to the world, widening one’s perspective and shifting evaluation toward self-transcendent modes. Values are inherently tied to various evaluative contexts, and unselfing can attune the individual to evaluative contexts and accompanying values beyond the self. Understood this way, psychedelics can provide temporarily enhanced access to self-transcendent values and function as sources of aspiration and value change. However, contextual factors can complicate whether STEs lead to long-term changes in values. The framework is supported by various research strands establishing empirical and conceptual connections between long-term differences in egocentricity, STEs, and self-transcendent values. Furthermore, the link between unselfing and value changes is supported by phenomenological and theoretical analysis of psychedelic experiences, as well as empirical findings on their long-term effects. This article furthers understanding of psychedelic value changes and contributes to discussions on whether value changes are justified, whether they result from cultural context, and whether psychedelics could function as tools of moral neuroenhancement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Media & Culture / Medya ve Kültür is the property of Medya ve Kultur and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The Anthropocene thesis contends that the earth has entered a new geological epoch, dominated by human action. This article examines the Anthropocene in relation to law and aesthetics, arguing that the concepts of law and the stories of law's origins that we mobilise in this context play a significant role in rendering us sensitive or insensitive to the multifarious challenges that the Anthropocene poses to social life. In arguing against aspects of Earth Jurisprudence scholarship, which has developed a novel understanding of the 'rights of nature', this article argues that it is through an attention to obligations, rather than rights, that a sensitivity to the forces and relations that define the Anthropocene might be fostered. The shift from rights to obligations entails a commensurate movement from aesthetics – where questions of form, integrity and harmony predominate – to aesthesis, the study of the somatic, sensory and affective dimensions of human experience. The article concludes by arguing that it is within the contemporary city, understood as a discrete form of human and infrastructural association, that an aesthesis of obligations in the context of the Anthropocene can be most acutely perceived. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Large old trees have many critical ecological functions. We collated information about Australia's tallest and largest (by circumference) trees from several databases. The 20 tallest trees in Australia are currently all Mountain Ash (Eucalyptus regnans) found primarily in Tasmania. There are also some Mountain Ash trees in Victoria which are over 90 m tall and still increasing in height. The 20 largest (by circumference) trees are distributed throughout four states (NSW, TAS, WA and VIC) with Mountain Ash accounting for more than half of the trees on this list. Making this information available in one location increases its accessibility and allows for priority species and areas for conservation to be more easily identified. Documenting the size and condition of trees, together with their location, will enable them to be revisited and monitored in the future. This practice will allow changes in tree condition, occurring through growth and/or deterioration, to be documented. We trust that by increasing the accessibility of this information, we encourage more people to take an interest in the ecology and conservation of large old trees. This is important given the past and present cultural significance of trees to Australia's First Nations People and the need to preserve this information and appreciation for nature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In our life with science, we trust experts; we form judgements by inference from past evidence. We conduct ourselves very differently in the aesthetic domain. We avoid deferring to aesthetic experts. We form our judgements through direct perception of particulars rather than through inference. Why the difference? I suggest that we avoid aesthetic testimony and aesthetic inference, not because they're unusable, but because we have adopted social norms to avoid them. Aesthetic appreciation turns out to be something like a game. We have laid down certain rules and restrictions in order to shape a kind of activity we cherish. And aesthetic properties turn out to be a kind of social construct. Much like the goal of a game, they are constituted in part by our obedience to certain rules. The norms of aesthetic life are different from those of science because our purposes are different. We engage in science to get the right answers; we engage in aesthetic appreciation to be absorbed in the activity of the sensuous perception of particulars. Our aesthetic practices are a constructed shelter from science; they restore to us a small domain where we may once again engage in our own sensuous perception of particulars. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

C. Thi Nguyen claims that although we can make aesthetic judgements based on testimony or inference, we resist doing so owing to a contingent norm of our social practice. For Nguyen, aesthetic engagement involves a 'motivational inversion' similar to games in which we adopt inefficient means of winning so that we can enjoy the process of playing. Similarly, he says, adopting the norm enables us to engage in the autonomous activity of appreciation. I argue that Nguyen is right that the purpose of our practice is appreciation, but wrong to think any motivational inversion is required in pursuing it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This classroom activity showcases how a free website and app, iNaturalist, can be used to introduce students to inquiry while also providing them with an opportunity to explore the outdoors. Inquiry-based approaches are known to have positive impacts on student learning. In addition to this, teaching scientific concepts outside may improve student learning gains while also highlighting the great biodiversity that exists right in their backyards. This project allows students to generate and investigate their own research questions based on their local communities. Students gather observations on the local organisms, utilizing iNaturalist, and ultimately create a presentation to share their findings. The instructor can modify the length of the project and the level of inquiry to fit the needs of a specific classroom. This project can be repeated several times to promote an appreciation of nature. Students can transform into true ecosystem explorers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]