We underestimate the benefits of nature
作者: Christian Jarrett / 5002次阅读 时间: 2011年9月29日
来源: BPS 标签: BPS
www.psychspace.com心理学空间网作者:Christian Jarrett (christianjarrett#gmail.com)心理学空间6rY;v4PM'w[
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People underestimate the psychological benefits of spending time in nature.  That's according toElizabeth  NisbetandJohn  Zelenskiwho say the  consequence is that people spend less time outside in green spaces than they  would do otherwise: this undermines their affiliation with the natural world  and reduces the likelihood that they will care about the environment.心理学空间'P]+G.N ]#f.E5K
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One hundred and fifty Carleton University students participated in what they  thought was a study of "personality and impressions of the campus area".  Carleton is located in Ottawa, with a green corridor that runs through the  city located nearby. Half the students took a 17 minute walk - either along  a canal path near the campus to an arboretum, or via underground tunnels  used on campus for getting around. Afterwards they completed questionnaires  about how they felt. The other students predicted how they would feel,  either after the outdoor, nature-filled walk or after the tunnel walk, but  they didn't actually take the walk. Both routes were equally familiar to all  the students. The study was conducted on dry Autumn days with temperatures  ranging from 2.5 to 14.6 degrees Celsius.
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@|(O5y#J'p5c0The key findings are that students felt more positive emotions after the  natural walk than they did after the tunnel walk, but that those in the  forecasting condition underestimated the positive benefits of a natural walk  and overestimated the positive benefits of the tunnel walk. The students in  the natural walk condition also reported feeling more connected to nature,  an association that was mediated by their more positive emotions.
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A second study was similar to the first, but this time the students who took  the walks were the same ones who made predictions about how they'd feel  afterwards. Also, different indoor and outdoor routes were used. Exactly the  same findings were observed - students felt in a better mood after outdoor,  natural walks and more connected with nature, yet they failed to anticipate  the magnitude of these benefits.心理学空间@Mo Y,tjp)},S
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"Together our results are consistent with the idea that, although people are  innately drawn to nature, a general disconnection prevents them from fully  anticipating nature's hedonic benefits," the researchers said. "When people  forgo the happiness benefits of nearby nature, they also neglect their  nature relatedness, a construct strongly associated with environmentally  sustainable attitudes and behaviours." A weakness of their argument, as they  acknowledge, is that there's no evidence yet that time spent in nature leads  to long-term changes in one's affiliation with the natural world.心理学空间,Da"`~m,\
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The findings come as the UK government is seeking to revise the country's  planning laws to make it easier to build on green land. The results show the  quandary faced by a small, densely populated island. Green, open spaces are  vital to our psychological health, which argues in favour of strict planning  laws. Yet such laws can lead to dense development with fewer pockets of  urban greenery. We shouldn't underestimate the value of these green oases in  urban environments. As Nisbet and Zelenski observe: "Our findings suggest  that even natural spaces in urban settings can increase happiness; the  grandeur of national parks is not required."心理学空间;H.Ne }%o zx:K/Ro
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ResearchBlogging.orgNisbet,  E., and Zelenski, J. (2011). Underestimating Nearby Nature: Affective  Forecasting Errors Obscure the Happy Path to Sustainability. Psychological  Science, 22 (9), 1101-1106 DOI:10.1177/0956797611418527
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Post written byChristian  Jarrettfor theBPS  Research Digest.
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