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BackgroundExposure to natural environments is thought to be beneficial for human health, but the evidence is inconsistent.ObjectiveTo examine whether exposure to green and blue spaces in urban environments is associated with mental and physical health in Finland.MethodsThe Helsinki Capital Region Environmental Health Survey was conducted in 2015−2016 in Helsinki, Espoo and Vantaa in Finland (n=7321). Cross-sectional associations of the amounts of residential green and blue spaces within 1 km radius around the respondent’s home (based on the Urban Atlas 2012), green and blue views from home and green space visits with self-reported use of psychotropic (anxiolytics, hypnotics and antidepressants), antihypertensive and asthma medication were examined using logistic regression models. Indicators of health behaviour, traffic-related outdoor air pollution and noise and socioeconomic status (SES) were used as covariates, the last of these also as a potential effect modifier.ResultsAmounts of residential green and blue spaces or green and blue views from home were not associated with medications. However, the frequency of green space visits was associated with lower odds of using psychotropic medication (OR=0.67, 95% CI 0.55 to 0.82 for 3–4 times/week; 0.78, 0.63 to 0.96 for ≥5 times/week) and antihypertensive (0.64, 0.52 to 0.78; 0.59, 0.48 to 0.74, respectively) and asthma (0.74, 0.58 to 0.94; 0.76, 0.59 to 0.99, respectively) medication use. The observed associations were attenuated by body mass index, but no consistent interactions with SES indicators were observed.ConclusionsFrequent green space visits, but not the amounts of residential green or blue spaces, or green and blue views from home, were associated with less frequent use of psychotropic, antihypertensive and asthma medication in urban environments.

Experience of nature is widely linked to well-being, including psychological restoration. Benefits to creativity have been explored in a limited number of studies which refer to theories of restorative environments as frameworks, but it is unclear which aspects of the environment and person–nature transactions are implicated in these processes. In this study, N = 20 members of the British public were interviewed regarding the relevance of natural environments for their personal and professional creative activities. Thematic analysis of interview transcripts revealed that cognitive, affective, and aesthetic appraisals were reported as directly relevant to creativity in nature, while environmental properties, sensory experiences, and the self were reported as informing these appraisals. Similarities to theories of restorative environments were observed in terms of the relevance of affect, cognition, and aesthetics. However, divergences also occurred, especially with regard to perceptions of arousal as beneficial for creativity, the importance of change in the environment, and the relevance of the self. Studies and theoretical modeling of relationships between nature and creativity should include these concepts, as well as those from theories of restorative environments. publishedVersion

Background: Natural sounds are reportedly restorative, but most research has used one-off experiments conducted in artificial conditions. Research based on field experiments is still in its infancy. This study aimed to generate hypotheses on the restorative effects of listening to natural sounds on surgeons, representing professionals working in stressful conditions. Methods: Each of four surgeons (two experts and two residents) participated six times in an experiment where they took a 10-min break listening to natural sounds (four times) or without natural sounds (twice) after a surgical operation. We measured their skin conductance level, an indicator of sympathetic arousal, continuously during the break (measurement occasions N = 2520) and assessed their mood using two questionnaires before and after the break (N = 69 and N = 42). We also interviewed them after the break. Results: Based on statistical Linear Mixed-Effects modeling, we developed two hypotheses for further, more detailed studies: (H1) Listening to natural sounds after an operation improves surgeons’ mood. (H2) Inexperienced surgeons’ tension persists so long that the effect of natural sounds on their sympathetic arousal is negligible. Conclusions: This risk-free, easy-to-use means of stress alleviation through natural sounds could benefit highly-stressed people working indoors.

Most studies on psychological restoration and favorite places have addressed restoration in green or blue outdoor settings whereas the interest around built and indoor settings has been scarce. In this study, we analyzed restorative experiences in favorite indoor and outdoor urban places using a top-down approach by including psycho-environmental variables (nature and urban orientedness, place bonding) and personality traits (Big Five). A sample of 945 university students and staff recruited in 5 western countries (Finland, Spain, The Netherlands, UK and Australia) answered an online questionnaire. In the linear regression models, perceived restorative potential, place attachment and place identification were the strongest predictors of subjective restoration. Personality traits did not play a significant role in restorative experiences. This work extends restoration research by considering the role of indoor, as well as outdoor environments and highlights the role of certain top-down characteristics in restorative experiences.

Background Epidemiological studies have reported positive associations between the amount of green space in the living environment and mental and cardiovascular human health. In a search for effect mechanisms, field studies have found short-term visits to green environments to be associated with psychological stress relief. Less evidence is available on the effect of visits on cardiovascular physiology. Objectives To evaluate whether visits to urban green environments, in comparison to visits to a built-up environment, lead to beneficial short-term changes in indicators of cardiovascular health. Methods Thirty-six adult female volunteers visited three different types of urban environments: an urban forest, an urban park, and a built-up city centre, in Helsinki, Finland. The visits consisted of 15 min of sedentary viewing, and 30 min of walking. During the visits, blood pressure and heart rate were measured, and electrocardiogram recorded for the determination of indicators of heart rate variability. In addition, levels of respirable ambient particles and environmental noise were monitored. Results Visits to the green environments were associated with lower blood pressure (viewing period only), lower heart rate, and higher indices of heart rate variability [standard deviation of normal-to-normal intervals (SDNN), high frequency power] than visits to the city centre. In the green environments, heart rate decreased and SDNN increased during the visit. Associations between environment and indicators of cardiovascular health weakened slightly after inclusion of particulate air pollution and noise in the models. Conclusions Visits to urban green environments are associated with beneficial short-term changes in cardiovascular risk factors. This can be explained by psychological stress relief with contribution from reduced air pollution and noise exposure during the visits. Future research should evaluate the amount of exposure to green environments needed for longer-term benefits for cardiovascular health., published version, peerReviewed

We investigated relations between various types of self-reported nature exposure at work and at home, and well-being among employees (N = 664) across two years. An electronic questionnaire was delivered three times, once a year. We identified seven employee groups with different long-term trajectories of four well-being indicators (vitality, happiness, vigor and creativity at work). More frequent physical activity (PA) in natural surroundings during free time in the first measurement increased the odds of belonging to long-term "beneficial" well-being groups after including control variables. The decrease in using one's home garden decreased the odds of belonging to one beneficial well-being group suggesting a threshold level, the decrease of which may diminish the chances of better well-being longitudinally. The dose-response relationships and the role of personal agency in the interaction with the natural environment deserve further attention. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The purpose of the study was to investigate whether deliberate psychological tasks, intended to focus people’s attention on the interaction between themselves and natural surroundings, are linked with mood enhancement and self-reported restoration. In four European countries (Finland, France, Luxembourg, Sweden), we surveyed the experiences of volunteers (N = 299) who walked forest trails and carried out psychological tasks printed on the signposts along them. We investigated the similarities and differences of the trail experiences between the countries. Via multigroup modeling, we further examined the moderating role of nature-connectedness in relationships between satisfaction with the contents of the psychological tasks, mood enhancement, and restorative benefits. The results showed that, independent of age and gender, participants were more satisfied with the trails in Sweden and Luxembourg than in Finland. We detected no reliable differences in the restorative experiences or willingness to recommend the trail for others. In the moderation model, satisfaction with the signposts’ contents was connected to positive restorative change and mood enhancement. The moderator effects of nature-connectedness were not significant for either outcome. Thus, it is likely that satisfactory tasks will work equally well for people varying in nature-connectedness. This is a promising prospect for public health promotion. The fairly high level of nature-connectedness among the participants limits the generalizability of our results. Conclusions concerning the role of nature-connectedness should be made with caution due to the limited coverage of the concept in our measure. Future studies that separate the effect of psychological tasks from the restorative effects of nature itself are needed.

Top–down processing has been highlighted as a potential, but as yet understudied, aspect of restorative environmental experience. In an online study, N = 234 adults resident in Finland rated their favorite Finnish place on measures of perceived restorativeness, perceived restorative outcomes, and place attachment, and provided qualitative descriptions of the place and a positive memory associated with it. Thematic analysis of qualitative data revealed seven themes underpinning place memories: the environment itself, activities within it, cognitive responses, emotional responses, social context, self, and time. Mediated regression analyses showed positive and significant relationships between restorative perceptions and the presence of memories of self and time, as mediated via place attachment (place identity factor). These findings emphasize the contribution of the person to the perception of their restorative experiences in places, particularly in the form of personal memories that can enhance place identity.

We investigated two-directional relations between various types of exposure to the natural world, at work and at home, and employee well-being. In total, 841 employees answered an electronic questionnaire twice with a one-year interval. Path analysis indicated that frequent physical activity in natural surroundings during free time predicted greater vitality over a one-year period after including control variables. The use of one's yard/garden and happiness were marginally positively associated over time. None of the variables involving exposure to the natural world at work were linked to the well-being measures. In the reverse direction, creativity at work predicted more frequent and vitality less frequent use of one's domestic garden. Happiness was marginally positively related to the frequency of physical activity in nature. The results suggest that free time physical activity in natural surroundings is a potential strategy for enhancing employee vitality across time.

There is a lack of consensus on whether preference informs evaluations of urban and natural scenes as psy-chologically restorative or instorative, or whether instorative perceptions inform preference. Perceptions of restorative potential and outcomes without a prior stress intervention are called instorative. In two online experimental studies conducted across long (N =140) and short (N =110) timeframes, we show a primacy effect for instorative perceptions; that is, evaluations of the instorative benefits of a scene are better predictors of ratings of preference than preference ratings of perceived instorative benefits. This was true for both natural and urban types of scenes. We found support for perceived instoration and affective appraisals being similarly strong and independent mediators. Their relative share in affecting preference or perceived instorativeness could not be reliably differentiated. Examination of thoughts, memories, and identity elicited by viewing such scenes may further clarify relationships between environmental preference and instoration. publishedVersion

Attention Restoration Theory (ART) and Stress Recovery Theory (SRT) highlight the restorative properties of natural or green environments. However, the study of the psychological benefits obtained through contact with built open urban places, such as squares or streets, has received far less attention. In this paper we present a within-subjects pretest-posttest quasi-experimental field study that assessed the restoration experience of a sample of university students (N = 34) visiting two squares in a European city. Statistical analyses revealed that participants' attentional performance improved and negative affect (depression and stress) decreased after spending 20 min in the squares. There was no increase in positive affect. Nature orientedness was significantly related to some of the pretest-posttest changes, leading to lower fatigue and attentional restoration in one square. The results suggest that built open urban settings can provide some restorative benefits. acceptedVersion

Item does not contain fulltext The aim of this 2-year longitudinal study was to identify long-term patterns of work-related rumination in terms of affective rumination, problem-solving pondering, and lack of psychological detachment from work during off-job time. We also examined how the patterns differed in job demands and well-being outcomes. The data were collected via questionnaires in three waves among employees (N = 664). Through latent profile analysis (LPA), five stable long-term patterns of rumination were identified: (1) no rumination (n = 81), (2) moderate detachment from work (n = 228), (3) moderate rumination combined with low detachment (n = 216), (4) affective rumination (n = 54), and (5) problem-solving pondering (n = 85), both combined with low detachment. The patterns differed in the job demands and well-being outcomes examined. Job demands (time pressure, cognitive and emotional demands) were at the highest level across time in patterns 3-5 and lowest in pattern 1. Patterns 3 and 4 were associated with poorer well-being outcomes (higher job exhaustion and more sleeping problems, and lower work engagement) across time. By contrast, pattern 5 showed positive outcomes, especially high level of work engagement. Thus, the different patterns of work-related ruminative thoughts suggest diverse relationships with job demands and well-being. 18 p.

Item does not contain fulltext Lunch breaks constitute the longest within-workday rest period, but it is unclear how they affect recovery from job stress. We conducted two randomized controlled trials with 153 Finnish knowledge workers who engaged for 15 minutes daily in various prescribed lunch break activities for ten consecutive working days. Participants were randomly assigned to a: 1) park walking group (N = 51), 2) relaxation exercises group (N = 46) and 3) control group (N = 56). The study was divided into two parts scheduled in spring (N = 83) and fall (N = 70). Recovery experiences (detachment, relaxation, enjoyment) and recovery outcomes (vitality, fatigue, job satisfaction) were assessed with SMS and paper-and-pencil questionnaires several times per day before, during and after the intervention period. A manipulation check revealed that during the intervention both intervention groups reported less tension after lunch breaks than before. Vitality increased and fatigue decreased most markedly immediately after the break in the fall in both intervention groups (d = 0.30-0.58). Fatigue decreased and remained low until the end of the afternoon (d = 0.37-0.54). Most consistent positive effects were reported in the park walking group. Park walks and relaxation exercises during lunch breaks enhanced knowledge workers' recovery from work, but the effects were weak, relatively short-lived and dependent on the season. 17 p.

Previous research linking favourite places and restorative environments hypothesises that place memory and place attachment can be implicated in restorative perceptions of place. In the present study, conducted with an online paradigm, 234 Finnish residents rated an imagined favourite place on place memory properties, place attachment, and imagined restorative perceptions. Autobiographical and positive affective properties of place memory were consistently predictive of perceived restorative potential of place. Attachment in the form of place identity and place dependence also positively predicted of restorative perceptions, and mediated certain relationships between memory properties and restorative perceptions. These findings highlight the relevance of top-down processing of restorative environments according to past experiences and individual attachments. This understudied topic may shed light on semantic values underpinning restoration in a range of settings, including favourite places.

This study developed the Children&rsquo, s Vitality-Relaxation Scale (CVRS) by revising the adult version of the Restoration Outcome Scale (ROS). The CVRS was translated and culturally adapted into Korean, and its reliability and validity were evaluated in a cross-sectional, descriptive design study. Data collected from 181 elementary school students in grades 4‒6 were used to test the validity and reliability of the CVRS. Exploratory factor analysis, Pearson&rsquo, s correlation, known-groups comparison, and Cronbach&rsquo, s alpha were used for analysis. The factor analysis indicated a two-factor structure, and all factor loadings were above 0.40. The CVRS was a seven-point Likert scale consisting of eight items, which were classified as &ldquo, vitality&rdquo, (four items) and &ldquo, relaxation&rdquo, (four items). The external construct validity with the PANAS, PSS, and SRI was acceptable. In the known-groups comparison, the CVRS score was significantly higher for boys than for girls, and the CVRS score for high-income students was higher than low-income students. The Cronbach&rsquo, s &alpha, for the scale was 0.84 and ranged from 0.72&ndash, 0.87 for the subscales. Results showed that the CVRS is a valid and reliable scale with acceptable psychometric characteristics in Korean children. The scale can be used to measure children&rsquo, s affect in various settings.

Aesthetic qualifies of urban green and blue spaces have received considerable attention in scientific literature but are operationalized in multiple ways and lack clear assessment and measurement techniques. To fill in this gap, we developed a Perceived Environmental Aesthetic Qualifies Scale (PEAQS). Based on previous literature both in philosophy and empirical sciences we created a questionnaire with 36 statements and three open questions focusing on the perceived aesthetic qualifies of environments. This questionnaire was used to sample 331 respondents in three sites different in their level of naturalness, human intervention and design: a natural-like but managed urban forest, a partly human-made and intensively managed bay-park and a completely human-made green roof. These sites were selected to represent a variety of urban green and blue infrastructure common in cities. The results suggest a scale that consists of 23 statements and five factors that reflect perceived aesthetic qualifies of urban green spaces: Harmony, Mystery, Multisensority & Nature, Visual Spaciousness and Visual Diversity, and Sublimity. We give guidelines for further development and testing of the scale in order to prove its potential to develop the field of environmental aesthetics and to demonstrate its usefulness for adaptive, evidence-based urban planning and design.

The aim of the study was to investigate the benefits of favourite physical places for well-being based on the idea of environmental self-regulation. It proposes that everyday favourite places are used as a “coping mechanism” to enhance subjective well-being through reflection, emotion regulation and withdrawal. We investigated the connection between reasons for visiting the favourite place, consequent experiences and perceived well-being (satisfaction with life and perceived health) through structural equation modelling. We also analysed the reversed model, where well-being affects the reasons for visiting and experiences in favourite places. Finnish and Hungarian participants (N = 784) answered an internet-based questionnaire. Concerning the relationships between reasons, experiences and well-being variables, all of the three reason factors (“Sad, depressed”; ” Happy, well”; “Alone, reflective) were significantly and positively related to the factor “Experiences of positive recovery of self”. This indicates that favourite places do indeed facilitate self-regulation by transforming negative cognitions and feelings into positive ones. However, positive recovery experiences were not related to well-being but distress experiences were negatively related to life satisfaction and perceived health. The reversed model revealed a top-down relation of life satisfaction with positive and negative reasons.

Original Research Environmental strategies of affect regulation refer to the use of natural and urban socio-physical settings in the service of regulation. We investigated the perceived use and efficacy of environmental strategies for regulation of general affect and sadness, considering them in relation to other affect regulation strategies and to subjective well-being. Participants from Australia, Finland, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, India, the Netherlands, Portugal, and Sweden (N = 507) evaluated the frequency of use and perceived efficacy of affect regulation strategies using a modified version of the Measure of Affect Regulation Styles (MARS). The internet survey also included the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS), emotional well-being items from the RAND 36-Item Health Survey, and a single-item measure of perceived general health. Environmental regulation formed a separate factor of affect regulation in the exploratory structural equation models (ESEM). Although no relations of environmental strategies with emotional well-being were found, both the perceived frequency of use and efficacy of environmental strategies were positively related to perceived health. Moreover, the perceived efficacy of environmental strategies was positively related to life satisfaction in regulating sadness. The results encourage more explicit treatment of environmental strategies in research on affect regulation info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

In this experiment we investigated how individual differences in orientation towards built vs. nature environment as well as noise sensitivity affect psychological and physiological restoration in a constructed urban park, urban woodland and city centre of Helsinki, Finland. The participants, 30–61-year-old healthy women (N = 83), visited each study site once. The experiment consisted of a 15-min viewing session, followed by a 30-min walking session in each environment. We measured restorative effects: perceived restorative outcomes, vitality, and blood pressure in these three environments. The data were analysed in SAS with a linear mixed model. We found significant differences between environments in psychological restorative effects, but not in blood pressure. The urban-nature orientedness, and to a lesser extent noise sensitivity, modified the effect of environment on restoration. In conclusion, individual characteristics affect psychological restoration provided by various urban environments. Varying needs of individuals should be taken into account in city planning.

The aim of the present study conducted among 1,106 Finnish employees was to identify boundary management profiles based on cross-role interruption behaviors from work to nonwork and from nonwork to work. Adopting a person-oriented approach through latent profile analysis, 5 profiles were identified: Work Guardians (21% of the employees), Nonwork Guardians (14%), Integrators (25%), Separators (18%), and an Intermediate Group (22%). We then examined differences between these profiles with respect to recovery experiences ( psychological detachment from work, relaxation, mastery experiences, and control during off-job time) and recovery outcomes (vigor and exhaustion). Work Guardians had the poorest situation in terms of recovery experiences and outcomes. Integrators came close to Work Guardians in their responses, but they showed better relaxation and control during off-job time. Nonwork Guardians and Separators had the most beneficial recovery experiences. The Intermediate Group scored near the average in all evaluations. Altogether the findings suggest that boundary management profiles play a significant role, especially regarding recovery experiences.

The environment surrounding residences and its recreational and commuting opportunities are believed to affect human health and well-being. To provide scientific evidence for the mechanisms of influence of the types of environments on human well-being, this study examined how the presence of and access to green spaces is related to the level of physical activity and self-rated health. The study focused on the mediating role of outdoor physical activity, utilizing a dataset from a comprehensive, cross-sectional nationwide survey, which included the number of outdoor recreation visits to close-to-home green spaces and respondents’ self-rated health status. The survey data were supplemented with precise, GIS-derived data of each respondent's exposure to green spaces, and the relationships were tested using path analyses. The study demonstrated that the presence of and access to green space is evident in the suburbs, where outdoor recreation was related to leisure time physical activity and to self-rated health. Thus, in order to promote health to suburban residents, access to close-to-home green spaces suitable for recreation should be secured. In contrast, in more urban residential areas, green spaces were more connected to frequent physical activity in association with commuting, indicating that investing in infrastructure for safe walking and bicycling could promote public health. Management implications The research results contribute to strengthening the role and importance of close-to-home recreational opportunities in urban green spaces. Easy accessibility to green spaces should be an important objective in the management and planning of urban and suburban forests and other green spaces. Close-to-home recreation opportunities are particularly vital for older people. If green spaces are also developed for commuting, health and well-being benefits could be realized via increased overall physical activity.

We examined energy management during work, recovery experiences after work and their connections to health, work engagement, and job performance.An online survey was completed by 1208 Finnish employees. Energy management was assessed through 13 strategies and recovery experiences through four experiences. As outcomes of recovery, we examined self-reported health, work engagement, and job performance.On average, employees applied three energy management strategies. The most beneficial strategies were work-related: shifting focus, goal setting, and helping coworkers. Both energy management and recovery experiences contributed to the outcomes.Employees benefit in terms of energy from shifting their focus to positive aspects of their jobs and demonstrating proactive social behavior at work. Recovery processes during and after work are closely connected to each other, to well-being and performance at work.

The present study aimed at identifying subgroups of employees with similar daily energy management strategies at work and finding out whether well-being indicators and job characteristics differ between these subgroups. The study was conducted by electronic questionnaire among 1122 Finnish employees. First, subgroups of employees with unique and distinctive patterns of energy management strategies were identified using latent profile analysis. Second, differences in well-being indicators and job characteristics between the subgroups were investigated by means of ANCOVA. Four subgroups (i.e., patterns) were identified and named: Passives (n = 371), Averages (n = 390), Casuals (n = 272) and Actives (n = 89). Passives used all three (i.e., work-related, private micro-break and physical micro-break) strategies less frequently than other subgroups, whereas Actives used work-related and physical energy management strategies more frequently than other subgroups. Averages used all strategies on an average level. Casuals’ use of all strategies came close to that of Actives, notably in a shared low use of private micro-break strategies. Active and Casual patterns maintained vigor and vitality. Autonomy and social support at work played a significant role in providing opportunities for the use of beneficial energy management strategies. Autonomy and support at work seem to support active and casual use of daily energy management, which is important in staying energized throughout the working day.

Physical activity in natural settings has been found in experimental research to be more restorative than physical activity in built indoor or outdoor settings, yet we lack evidence of this in everyday life. In this study we examined recalled restoration (with the 9-item Restoration Outcome Scale) of the most recent physical activity session in indoor, built outdoor and natural outdoor settings using measurement invariance tests (n = 2577). We also compared the relationships between restoration, emotional well-being and frequency of physical activity in these groups. Recalled restoration formed two factors, Restorativeness and Assurance, in all groups, with equal loadings but partly varying item-specific means. Restorativeness was positively connected to emotional well-being in all settings but it did not explain the connection between well-being and physical activity in natural settings. Future studies could explore in more detail how emotional well-being and repeated restoration in different types of environments intertwine.

The health-enhancing benefits of contact with nature have become widely recognized, but empirical studies that consider the motives and attentional focus of nature visits are lacking. These psychological qualities may partly determine why one visits natural environments and why some visits are more restorative than others. This study examined recent nature visits by Finnish survey respondents ( n = 565) via exploratory structural equation modeling. In the estimated models, motives and attentional focus explained 54% to 57% of post-visit restorativeness, 22% of creativity, and 33% to 37% of emotional well-being. Of the assessed motives, stress reduction was most strongly connected to increased restorativeness and emotional well-being. The motive to be alone showed a positive indirect—but negative direct—connection to emotional well-being. In addition, focus on oneself, the activity, and the environment were positively associated with the outcomes. The results indicate that motives and attentional focus are strongly connected to the outcomes of nature visits.

This research addresses the profiles of nature exposure and outdoor activities in nature among Finnish employees (N = 783). The profiles were formed on the bases of nature exposure at work and the frequency and type of outdoor activities in nature engaged in during leisure time. The profiles were investigated in relation to work engagement and burnout. The latent profile analysis identified a five-class solution as the best model: High exposure (8%), Versatile exposure (22%), Unilateral exposure (38%), Average exposure (13%), and Low exposure (19%). An Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) was conducted for each well-being outcome in order to evaluate how the identified profiles related to occupational well-being. Participants with a High, Versatile, or Unilateral exposure profile reported significantly higher work engagement in the dimensions of vigor and dedication than did the participants with a Low exposure profile. The participants with the High exposure profile also reported lower burnout in the dimensions of cynicism and professional inadequacy than the participants with the Low exposure profile. Nature exposure during the workday and leisure time is an under researched but important aspect in promoting occupational well-being. peerReviewed

Only few studies so far have examined recovery from work during workday breaks. In this intervention study, based on the effort-recovery model and the conservation of resources theory, we examined how to enhance recovery during lunch breaks. More specifically, we examined the within-person effects of lunchtime park walks and relaxation exercises on employees' levels of concentration, strain, and fatigue experienced at the end of a working day. We moreover tested whether detachment from work and enjoyment experienced during lunch breaks transmitted the effects of these activities to well-being outcomes. Participants in the park walk (n = 51) and relaxation (n = 46) groups were asked to complete a 15-min exercise during their lunch break on 10 consecutive working days. Afternoon well-being, lunchtime detachment, and lunchtime enjoyment were assessed twice a week before, during, and after the intervention, altogether for 5 weeks. Multilevel analysis results showed that park walks at lunchtime were related to better concentration and less fatigue in the afternoon through enjoyment. Relaxation exercises were related to better concentration in the afternoon via detachment. In addition, relaxation exercises were directly linked to lower levels of strain and fatigue in the afternoon. Our study suggests that on days on which employees engage in recovering activities during lunch breaks, they experience higher levels of well-being at the end of a working day. These results add to the theory-based knowledge on recovery during workday breaks and highlight the importance of breaks for organizational practices. (PsycINFO Database Record

Considering the increasing demands of various occupational interventions, this study aimed at examining the impact of relaxation exercises and park walks during lunch breaks on physiological recovery (i.e., on changes in cortisol excretion and blood pressure). In a four-week randomized controlled trial, 153 knowledge workers in seven companies were allocated to one of three groups: relaxation, park walk, or control. Both intervention groups were required to undertake either a lunchtime relaxation exercise or a park walk on each working day for two consecutive weeks. Data were collected at baseline, during the two-week intervention period, and in the week after the intervention. Mixed-design analyses of variance (ANOVA) were conducted. No beneficial intervention effects were observed in cortisol awakening response (CARi) or cortisol decline during the day (CDD). Blood pressure decreased significantly in the afternoon at work in each group. This decrease was more pronounced in the park walk group ( d = .51–.58) than in the relaxation ( d = .18–.28) and control ( d = .31–.41) groups. Our study showed that changing knowledge workers’ lunch routines for a short period of time does not affect cortisol excretion, but may lower blood pressure at the end of the working day. This lowered blood pressure also seemed to occur among the controls, suggesting that measuring and keeping track of blood pressure may serve as an intervention. However, longer interventions are needed to achieve stronger and long lasting physiological recovery effects.

This is an illustrative review on studies revealing the restorative, that is, stress-reducing, effects of natural settings. We focus on the effects of viewing or being physically active in the natural setting and the effects of indoor plants and window views on restoration and recovery. These themes represent interesting and potentially fruitful areas for future studies that combine work and environmental psychological aspects. There is conceptual similarity between recovery experiences and processes of perceived restorativeness. Increasing evidence shows that outdoor natural environments are more efficient in producing restoration than outdoor built environments. Anecdotal evidence shows that window views to natural elements buffer the negative impact of job stress on intention to quit; the more natural elements, the less the negative impact of job stress on turnover intentions. A laboratory study recording brainwaves and blood volume pulse has indicated that people are less nervous or anxious when looki...

This study investigated the psychological (perceived restorativeness, subjective vitality, mood, creativity) and physiological (salivary cortisol concentration) effects of short-term visits to urban nature environments. Seventy-seven participants visited three different types of urban areas; a built-up city centre (as a control environment), an urban park, and urban woodland located in Helsinki, the capital of Finland. Our results show that the large urban park and extensively managed urban woodland had almost the same positive influence, but the overall perceived restorativeness was higher in the woodland after the experiment. The findings suggest that even short-term visits to nature areas have positive effects on perceived stress relief compared to built-up environment. The salivary cortisol level decreased in a similar fashion in all three urban environments during the experiment. The relations between psychological measures and physiological measures, as well as the influence of nature exposure on different groups of people, need to be studied further.

[Correction Notice: An Erratum for this article was reported in Vol 22(4) of Journal of Occupational Health Psychology (see record 2017-05746-001). There were errors in two separate sections of the article. The final sentence preceding Hypothesis 4 in "The Present Study" section should read, "We did not hypothesize that the specific forms of work-related thoughts (i.e., affective rumination, problem-solving pondering, or lack of psychological detachment) would be differently associated with stability or changes in boundary crossing behavior." The fifth sentence in the second paragraph of the "Identifying Subgroups of Boundary Crossing Behavior Across Time" subsection of the "Results" section should read, "Group 5 (n = 162, 19%), characterized by stable low boundary crossing behavior across time (M = 1.37 for Time 1 and M = 1.34 for Time 2), and Group 6 (n = 154, 18%), characterized by stable high boundary crossing behavior (M = 4.54 for Time 1 and M = 4.60 for Time 2), were almost equally large in size."] This 1-year follow-up study (N = 841) investigated the relationship between boundary crossing behavior from work to nonwork and work-related rumination (i.e., affective rumination, problem-solving pondering, and lack of psychological detachment from work during off-job time). This relationship is important to examine as work-related rumination is a risk factor for poor recovery and ill-health over time. The aims were twofold: first, to examine these relationships in terms of temporal ordering, and, second, to show how individual differences regarding stability and change of boundaries from work to nonwork are reflected in work-related rumination across time. The structural equation modeling analyses lent support to the hypothesized normal causation model compared with the reversed causation and reciprocal models. However, only the cross-lagged relationship between high boundary crossing behavior at T1 and lack of psychological detachment at T2 was significant. Through latent profile analysis, 6 subgroups of boundary crossing behavior across time were identified. Over 70% of the employees belonged to the stable (low, moderate, high) and about one-third to the changing (mostly increasing) boundary crossing subgroups. Employees in the 2 stable (high and moderate) boundary crossing subgroups reported less psychological detachment and more problem-solving pondering during off-job time than did those in the low boundary crossing subgroup. Employees in the change groups reported simultaneous expected changes, especially in their problem-solving pondering. No effects on affective rumination were found. Thus frequent boundary crossing behavior from work to nonwork plays a different role regarding the various forms of work-related rumination during nonwork. (PsycINFO Database Record

Item does not contain fulltext The tourism industry thrives on the notion that holiday travel improves well-being. However, scientific evidence that holiday travel is more beneficial than spending free time at home is lacking. Using the Effort-Recovery and the Limited Resources model as theoretical basis, this study investigates whether workers behave, think, and feel differently during travel than during leisure time spent at home. In a five-week longitudinal field study, we followed 24 workers during free evenings after work, a free weekend at home, and on a free weekend of domestic travel. Within-person differences were investigated between these three occasions in behavior, cognition, and emotions. During travel, employees slept more, engaged more in physical and social activities and less in obligatory activities than during free evenings after work. Hedonic well-being was higher and ruminative thinking lower during travel than during free evenings after work. Physical distance from home and work was related to engagement in resource-providing rather than resource-consuming activities and seems to translate into mental distance from everyday worries. Differences between holiday travel and weekends at home were small. Still, the findings suggest that travel may provide feelings of remoteness in places with novel and fascinating qualities, free of chores. 16 p.

We studied the restorative potential of fragmented urban forests in Helsinki, Finland. Our aim was to explore how perceived restorativeness (PR) in urban forests changes when exposed to different levels of urbanity observed through the forest vegetation from the viewpoint of the forest interior. The level of PR was measured in forests that bordered either housing or a road. Three sampling points were selected within each forest, which included (1) an open view (at the edge), (2) a semi-closed view (at the edge zone), and (3) a closed view (in the forest interior) to the urban matrix. We hypothesized that the less urban matrix is observed through the forest vegetation from within the forest, the higher PR would be, and that PR is higher in forests bordering housing than in forests bordering roads. Results supported our hypotheses, as PR was higher inside forests with a closed view to the urban matrix compared to semi-closed and open views. PR was also higher in forests bordering housing than forests bordering a road, albeit not statistically significantly so. We conclude that in order to enhance the restorative potential of an urban forest, planners and managers should preserve sufficiently large forest patches with forest interior habitats, or promote the growth of dense and multilayered vegetation to restrict visibility to the urban matrix.

This paper consists of two studies. The first study investigates how different scene contents (urban, combined/mixed and natural) affect perceived restorativeness, preference and fear in nightscapes. The second study investigates how changes in the focus of the light affect these same variables. Simulated views were rated by participants, using the Perceived Restorativeness Scale (PRS) and measurements of fear and preference. The results of the first study indicate that night-time perceived restorativeness is consistent with that in daytime environments. Natural scenes were perceived as having higher restorative quality. They were also perceived as being less frightening than urban ones and were preferred to them. Combined scenes were assessed similarly to natural ones. The second study indicated that changing the focus of the light in nightscapes can have the same type of effects on perceived restorativeness, fear and preference as changing the actual content of the scene.

The study compared the importance of spending time in interacting with nature to other leisure activities regarding recovery from work demands. In addition, a multiple mediation model between time spent in interacting with nature and need for recovery through four mediators was tested. Employees of five organizations answered a questionnaire (N = 527). Exercise and being outdoors during free-time was evaluated as the most effective activity for recovery from work stress, and the time spent in interacting with nature was mentioned as second in importance. Time spent in exercise and being outdoors, life satisfaction, and relaxation mediated significantly the relationship between time spent in interacting with nature and need for recovery from work.

Efforts to simultaneously address adolescent self-regulation, activity space (routine locations), and mental health represent a promising social ecological approach aimed at understanding the lives and development of urban youth. This type of examination of contextual influences on self-regulation is considered an important area of developmental research, yet one that is understudied (McCabe, Cunnington, & Brooks-Gunn, 2004). Little is known about the self-regulatory experiences that might link specific types of locations with mental health problems, particularly with urban youth who live in areas characterized by chronic and severe stressors such as personal violence, criminal activity, and poverty. Recent research has demonstrated the “power of context” (Tolan, Gorman-Smith, Henry, Chung, & Hunt, 2002) to influence coping styles and has demonstrated that without detailed and specified knowledge of the social ecology of urban youth, measurement of critical variables and interpretation of results are likely to be misinformed (Tolan & Grant, 2009). Given the importance of understanding youth through an interactive and contextual framework (Bronfenbrenner, 1979; Szapocznik & Coatsworth, 1999), the present study examined self-regulatory experiences, specified favorite locations, and mental health with urban adolescents residing in low-resource and high-risk environments. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Background Previous studies suggest that favorite places provide stress-alleviating experiences and serve emotion regulation. This study used a prospective, experimental design to investigate the hypothesis that a group of adults instructed to regularly visit their local favorite places will experience greater daily restoration and fewer self-reported physical symptoms than a group instructed to avoid all favorite-place visits. Methods Members of the favorite-place group were asked to visit their local favorite places at least once per day on 5 weekdays. They visited five times, on average, and also reported all other place visits in a structured place diary. Members of the not-visiting group visited their favorite place 0–1 times and daily reported all place visits outside the home. The control group, which was given instructions that did not mention favorite places, reported all place visits outside the home. Restorative experiences (assessed on the Restoration Outcome Scale and including attentiveness, relaxation, clearing one's mind, subjective vitality, and self-confidence) and self-reported physical symptoms (headache, backache, muscle tension and pain) were measured with structured health diaries using Likert scales. Data were collected in 2006 and analyzed in 2007 and 2008. Results Every day the group visiting favorite places experienced significantly stronger restorative experiences than the not-visiting and control groups. The groups did not differ in the amount of self-rated physical symptoms reported at the end of each day. In all groups such symptoms decreased toward the end of the week. Conclusions Favorite-place prescriptions and visits affect subjective well-being. Health counseling and research on coping strategies should not ignore the use of sociophysical environments for self- and emotion-regulation.

The personal assessments of the Current and expected future state of the environment by 3232 community respondents in 18 nations were investigated at the local, national, and global spatial levels. These assessments were compared to a ranking of each country's environmental quality by air expert panel. Temporal pessimism ("things will get worse") Was found in the assessments at all three spatial levels. Spatial optimism bias ("things are better here than there") was found in the assessments of current environmental conditions in 15 Of 18 countries, but not in the assessments of the future. All countries except one exhibited temporal pessimism, but significant differences between them were common. Evaluations of current environmental conditions also differed by country. Citizens' assessments of current conditions, and the degree of comparative optimism, were strongly correlated with the expert panel's assessments of national environmental quality. Aside from the value of understanding global trends in environmental assessments, the results have important implications for environmental policy and risk management strategies. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

We investigated the reliability and stability of favourite place selections and evaluations of place attachment over a 10-month period. A simple random sample of 1273 respondents representative of the population of the two largest cities in Finland completed a mailed questionnaire. Reliability data was obtained in a second questionnaire ( N = 427). We obtained five main favourite place types which were extensively managed natural settings (mainly urban woodlands), urban green spaces (mostly parks), waterside environments, exercise and activity/hobby areas, and indoor and outdoor urban areas. Sixty-four percent of the respondents in the second survey selected the same main favourite place type as 10 months earlier, which is more than what might be expected by chance. Extensively managed natural settings (mainly urban woodlands) and waterside environments were reselected most often. Indoor and outdoor urban favourite places had the lowest stability. We found evidence of people being more consistent in their attachment to natural favourite places than to urban favourite places. The findings lend further credence and credibility to earlier results concerning self-regulation and restorative experiences in favourite places.