Abstract not available

Radon exposure in homes is a leading cause of lung cancer, but the rate at which householders test for this environmental risk is low. In a pre-registered experiment with a nationally representative sample of adults (N = 1700), we used psychological theory to design information interventions to influence perceptions of risk from radon and motivate testing. Results show that information about radon increased belief that exposure would lead to negative consequences, but not perceived likelihood of exposure. Interactive maps depicting the geographical distribution of radon risk increased perceived likelihood of exposure, general worry and willingness to test for radon, but the effects depended on the map's attributes. Maps communicating risk using numeric frequencies of the number of homes in an area likely to be affected by radon (e.g., 1 in 5 homes) were more effective than ones that used simple statements (e.g., your home is at high risk). Adding an intermediate “moderate” risk category increased perceived risk compared to a binary high/low classification system among those in the moderate risk area, without altering perceptions of those at high risk. Other map features (colour and search functionality) had little impact. The best performing map led to 72% more people being willing to test for radon, compared to the map in use by the national Environmental Protection Agency at the time of the study. The results have implications for theories of risk perception and show the potential for techniques from psychological science to help mitigate a real-world environmental risk.

Natural materials and elements are considered to support human well-being. Wooden interior well-being effects were studied using a randomized controlled trial with a cross-over design (n = 61) in two rooms: a room with wooden elements and a control room without wood. The participants first performed cognitive tasks by the computer to imitate typical office work and increase their stress level and then had a rest period in an armchair in the same room. The restoration felt, energy level, mood, anxiety, sustained attention, heart rate variability, and skin conductivity were measured in both rooms. The results were analyzed using a Bayesian approach. The anxiety felt was clearly lower at the end of the experiment in the wooden room than in the control, while the other psychological measures showed only a slight indication that the wooden room was more beneficial for relaxation. Performances in sustained attention to the response task were similar in both rooms. Contrary to expectations, the sympathetic nervous system was more active in the wooden room, during and after rest and at the beginning of experiment. Overall, the results support slight positive effects of wooden material on mood on humans in the office environment.

Human social cognition is considered an essential skill necessary for socially appropriate behaviours and social integration. Childhood is a time of rapid social expansion and growing independence from parents, but it is also a period of vulnerability in which children have unequal opportunities for optimal development. Accumulating evidence suggests that access to greenery, such as trees, shrubs, and grassed areas, might promote social skills in children. In this pre-registered, cross-sectional study, we found that vegetation cover around the home was associated with theory of mind (b/SE = 18.36/6.49, p = 0.006, Bayes Factor (BF) = 2.711) but not affect recognition (4.51/6.99, 0.52, 0.133) in 5–12 year-old children (n = 85). Further, neither of two neurophysiological indexes of face emotion processing, the N170 latency (−31.9/42.20, 0.45, 0.201) and the N170 amplitude (−5.58/11.82, 0.63, 1.02), were associated with vegetation cover around the home. Vegetation cover around the home might support the formation of social skills through higher order reasoning about emotion experience and cause and effect as it relates to other people. Future studies including larger, longitudinal samples are required to confirm the findings.

Besides climate change, the loss of biodiversity due to human activities marks another planetary boundary that we are currently crossing. Cross-culturally invariant measurement instruments are urgently needed to monitor and evaluate the effects of global and national programmes to halt further biodiversity loss. Based on data from Brazil, China, Colombia, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Mexico, Peru, South Africa, Vietnam, and Germany, we tested the cross-cultural invariance of scales operationalizing an extended theory of planned behaviour for the prediction of biodiversity-conserving behavioural intentions. Cross-cultural invariance was tested using the multi-group confirmatory factor analysis and the alignment optimization approaches, whose methodological setup is described and discussed. Results for both methods indicate metric and partial scalar invariance of the used scales, which means that both regression coefficients and latent means can be compared across countries. The resulting scales can be used to both monitor biodiversity-related behavioural intentions and their predictors across different cultures and evaluate interventions to increase these intentions.

Regional population decline has become a major problem for many rural areas in developed countries. The threat of regional decline due to population shrinkage may have a disruptive effect on people's attachment to their place of residence. This study explored the role of time perspective (past, present, and future) in the residential context, termed residential time perspective, as a potential mediator of the relationship between regional decline and place attachment. A survey was conducted among residents (n = 1000) living in municipalities in Japan that exhibited various rates of estimated population decline. Participants living in rural areas with higher rates of population decline reported more negative time perspectives and less attachment to their places of residence compared with participants living in urban areas. Multiple mediation analyses confirmed the viability of residential time perspective as a mediator of the relationship between residents' perceptions of regional decline and place attachment. Rural residency with a threat of regional decline moderated the mediation effect at the individual level, with significant mediation occurring through the past dimension. We suggest that the concept of residential time perspective can improve our understanding of place attachment processes and merits consideration in the context of regional sustainability.

Primary stressors are direct outcomes of extreme events (e.g., viruses, floodwater) whereas secondary stressors stem from pre-disaster life circumstances and societal arrangements (e.g., illness, problematic pre-disaster policies) or from inefficient responses to the extreme event. Secondary stressors can cause significant long-term damage to people affected but are also tractable and amenable to change. In this study we explored the association between secondary stressors, social identity processes, social support, and perceived stress and resilience. Pre-registered analyses of data from the COVIDiSTRESS Global Survey Round II (N = 14,600; 43 countries) show that secondary stressors are positively associated with perceived stress and negatively associated with resilience, even when controlling for the effects of primary stressors. Being a woman or having lower socioeconomic status (SES) is associated with higher exposure to secondary stressors, higher perceived stress, and lower resilience. Importantly, social identification is positively associated with expected support and with increased resilience and lower perceived stress. However, neither gender, SES, or social identification moderated the relationship between secondary stressors and perceived stress and resilience. In conclusion, systemic reforms and the availability of social support are paramount to reducing the effects of secondary stressors.

Global advocates have argued in favor of increasing connectedness to nature, the benefits of which have been substantially supported for both the environment and humans. However, we extend mainstream opinions by identifying the potential negative impact of connectedness to nature on human relationships under specific conditions. Specifically, we propose that connectedness to nature promotes dehumanization among anxiously attached people. We tested this assumption with three studies (N = 1276). Studies 1 and 2 revealed that, for people with high levels of anxious attachment, connectedness to nature positively predicted dehumanization of thieves (Study 1) and people who casually litter (Study 2). By manipulating connectedness to nature, Study 3 found that dehumanization elicited by connectedness to nature among people with high attachment anxiety predicted greater preference for nature over prisoners. These trends were eliminated or even reversed for those with low levels of anxious attachment. The present research enriches our understanding of people's social relationships with nature and humans.

Biodiversity has decreased drastically over the last decades, posing an existential threat to all life on earth. Addressing this threat requires urgent actions to conserve biodiversity including changing the behavior of individuals to reduce their impacts on biodiversity. In the present research, we applied an emotion-based persuasion appeal model to biodiversity conservation, based on the Extended Parallel Process Model (EPPM), to examine how behavioral change can be best communicated and promoted. We tested the predictions of the EPPM that perceived threat (and related increases in fear) as well as coping efficacy (and related increases in optimism) interactively contribute to fostering behavioral change towards biodiversity conservation. To that end, we conducted an online experiment (N = 510) where participants read a text on the threatened status of bumblebees, a concrete example of the broader challenge of protecting ecosystems and wildlife, and subsequently performed a task where they could earn money to spend for the Bumblebee Conservation Trust. Results revealed no evidence for the assumptions of the EPPM, as neither manipulating perceived threat nor coping efficacy appraisal nor their interaction impacted consequential conservation behavior or self-reported conservation intention.

Household food waste is one of the major obstacles to meeting global emission targets. Yet, it seems that we still do not fully understand why some people are more driven than others in their engagement to reduce household food waste. Here, we take a new perspective and examine (a) the perceived morality of food waste as a driver for food waste behavior and (b) whether interventions that associate food waste with either the moral foundation of harm or disgust can increase both intentions to reduce food waste and to engage more in future meal planning. Across two study phases (N = 698 and 446; respectively), we found support for our hypothesis that the belief that food waste is morally wrong is negatively associated with self-reported food waste. Moreover, we found that a harm manipulation, relative to a disgust manipulation and a control condition, increased participants’ intention to reduce food waste and future meal planning intentions via food waste moral judgment, but only for those individuals who were at mean or higher values on the care foundation. A disgust manipulation, in contrast, compared to a harm manipulation, directly elicited stronger intentions to reduce food waste and to plan meals, but again only for those who endorsed the associated purity foundation. Our findings suggest different cognitive mechanisms for individuals who ground their morality in the care and the purity foundations and thus have several implications for practice and future research.

The COVID-19 outbreak led to major restrictions globally, affecting people's psychosocial health and their health behaviors. Thus, the purpose of this scoping review was to summarize the available research regarding nature and health in the COVID-19 context. Keywords relating to natural environments and COVID-19 were combined to conduct a systematic online search in six major databases. Eligibility criteria were a) published since 2020 with data collected in the COVID-19 context b) peer-reviewed, c) original empirical data collected on human participants, d) investigated the association between natural environments and psychosocial health or health behaviors, and e) English, German, or Scandinavian languages. Out of 9126 articles being screened, we identified 188 relevant articles, representing 187 distinct studies. Most research focused on adults in the general population and was predominantly conducted in the USA, Europe, and China. Overall, the findings indicate that nature may mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on psychological health and physical activity. Through a systematic thematic analysis of the extracted data, three primary themes were identified: 1) type of nature assessed, 2) psychosocial health and health behaviors investigated, and 3) heterogeneity in the nature–health relationship. Research gaps in the COVID-19 context were identified regarding I) nature characteristics that promote psychosocial health and health behaviors, II) investigations of digital and virtual nature, III) psychological constructs relating to mental health promotion, IV) health-promoting behaviors other than physical activity, V) underlying mechanisms regarding heterogeneity in the nature–health relationship based on human, nature, and geographic characteristics, and VI) research focusing on vulnerable groups. Overall, natural environments demonstrate considerable potential in buffering the impact of stressful events on a population level on mental health. However, future research is warranted to fill the mentioned research gaps and to examine the long-term effects of nature exposure during COVID-19.

Environmental educators stress the importance of engaging with the wonders of the Earth in promoting nature connectedness. However, it remains unclear if learning about nature has an incremental effect beyond mere exposure to nature and what psychological mechanism can explain such a learning effect if it exists. To fill this gap, we propose a mediation model in which learning about nature promotes a sense of awe—a self-transcendent emotion associated with the recognition of vastness in nature. A sense of awe, in turn, promotes nature connectedness. Study 1 employed a cross-sectional survey and offered preliminary support for the proposed model, with participants who showed greater knowledge about nature (assessed by a species identification quiz) reporting higher levels of dispositional awe and nature connectedness, even after controlling for contact with nature. Study 2 was an experimental study that administered a two-week intervention where participants learned about nature with the help of two smartphone applications, Google Lens and Seek by iNaturalist. Results showed that there was an indirect effect of learning about nature on nature connectedness via awe among participants with higher levels of engagement with the intervention. The practical implications of our findings are discussed.

In 2019–2020, Australia experienced an unprecedented bushfire season that caused widespread environmental destruction across the continent, and especially to its south-east corner. Over two studies, we examine mental health outcomes of individuals impacted by bushfire, drawing on the concept of solastalgia – the sense of distress arising from unwanted environmental change – as a potential explanation for the mental health consequences of bushfire. In Study 1, we surveyed 2084 residents from the Australian Capital Territory and surrounding regions directly after the bushfire season. Participants were asked about exposure to the 2019–2020 bushfires, and to a previous regional fire of significance, experience of solastalgia, and five mental health indicators. In Study 2, we broaden our focus to all of Australia, and administer our measures with a nationally representative sample six months after the conclusion of the bushfire season (N = 1477). In both studies, we find the severity of reported bushfire impact is significantly associated with mental health, such that greater impact predicts poorer outcomes. Moreover, we find the experience of solastalgia mediates the relationship between bushfire impact and mental health and wellbeing. Experiencing solastalgia is a partial, but important, mechanism for understanding the impact of bushfire exposure on mental health and wellbeing. Importantly, people not directly impacted by a bushfire event also experience solastalgia and subsequent poorer mental health outcomes following bushfires. We suggest that future measurements of the impact of abrupt environmental change events, including bushfires, consider the role of solastalgia and localised environmental contexts in shaping the mental health impacts to the population.

Anxiety about climate change is increasing. What are its predictors? In a cross-sectional survey of 323 North Americans, six possible predictors and their interrelations were investigated: climate change knowledge, prior experience with climate change impacts, generalized anxiety disorder symptoms, climate change worry, climate change risk perception, and media exposure to climate change information. A model of the connections among them was proposed. Most hypotheses about the model's structure were supported, the model had a very good fit to the data, and it accounted for 54 percent of the variance in reported climate change anxiety. The results help to explicate who experiences climate change anxiety and suggest directions toward effective means of addressing climate-related mental health concerns. Some implications for theory and practice are offered.

Van der Werff et al. (2014b) theorized that recalling diverse types (heterogenous recall) of pro-environmental behaviour (PEB), as compared to recalling a single type of PEB or non-environmental behaviour, strengthens environmental self-identity by invoking internal attribution of the behaviour. Despite a significant omnibus test across conditions, we contended that their data (N = 242; 4 conditions) did not entirely support the theory because the two PEB recall conditions revealed no significant difference, and it did not measure respondents’ attribution. We attempted to replicate the study with improved statistical power (N = 350; 3 conditions) and controlled type I error by adopting orthogonal contrasts. We did not replicate the overall effect, but the contrast between heterogenous and non-heterogenous conditions was marginally significant and aligned with the theory. A mini meta-analysis of both studies suggested a weak but significant effect of heterogenous recall in strengthening environmental self-identity (d = 0.234, 95%CI [0.054, 0.413]). Using structural equation modelling, we examined if the effect could be driven by internal attribution, as proposed in the original study, or normative social influence, which was against the original theorizing. The latter mechanism was supported. Heterogeneous recall of PEB strengthened environmental self-identity by increasing subjective norm of the behaviour, which would further predict sustainable consumption. We discussed the practical significance of this mechanism and how it could be used as an intervention to promote PEB.

Effectively communicating climate science requires context-dependent understanding of the target audience and the underlying drivers of their attitudes. The current study explored the landscape of public opinions on climate change in Denmark using segmentation analysis, and investigated its political orientation predictors. Using latent class analysis, we identified the AAACID model; 6 distinct groups that represent the salient differences in Danish climate attitudes, namely the Alarmed, Alert, Ambivalent, Cautious, Indifferent and Doubtful. Climate concern and prioritizing climate mitigation agendas when voting were both negatively associated with Right-orientation, hierarchy, and individualism. A cross-cultural comparison, using the Global Warming's Six Americas framework, further revealed substantial differences between Danish and American public attitudes on climate change. We suggest communication strategies suitable for each segment, and conclude that despite the consensus culture and general acceptance of climate science, political orientation still plays an important role in the remaining disagreement on climate issues in Denmark.

BackgroundNature can weaken the negative effects of deprivation on health, shifting away from pathogenic models of health and supporting the wellbeing of disadvantaged groups. Nevertheless, children living in deprived areas are nine times less likely to have access to nature compared to more affluent children. Schools can facilitate equity of access to nature, thereby playing a crucial role in addressing health inequities. What has received scant attention in existing literature is how access to, and engagement with, nature can be facilitated through arts experiences.Methods‘Eco-capabilities’ is a pilot study exploring the impact of the arts-in-nature practice - ‘Artscaping’ - on the wellbeing of 101 children (aged 7–10) living in areas of high deprivation. Qualitative and arts-based methods were used to understand children's, artists' and teachers' experiences of participating in the intervention. Quantitative methods were used to gain preliminary information on children's self-reported measures of wellbeing pre- and post-intervention.FindingsChildren's wellbeing was supported by the development of: self-confidence and self-esteem; agency; slowliness and calmness; and connectedness with nature. Although children's self-reported measures of wellbeing did not reach statistically significance, the most noticeable changes were that children felt happier with their life as a whole, spending time outdoors and doing things away from home, and more optimistic about what future holds for them.ConclusionsThis study developed the proof of concept for the arts-in-nature intervention. Future research should focus on scaling-up this intervention in primary, secondary and special schools in a wider range of geospatial contexts. Future research should also prioritise the collaboration between artists and teachers to ensure the sustainability of this practice beyond the scope of the research.

Previous research has proposed that everyday favorite places can be used as restorative niches to support emotional self-regulation and enhance subjective well-being. The study aimed to investigate how perceived physical characteristics of favorite places and emotional experiences in the place form meaningful configurations. Appraisals of favorite place attributes and place-related emotional experiences of Finnish and Hungarian participants (N = 259 and 290, respectively) were collected via online assessment. Joint factor analysis of the favorite place appraisals provided two factors of physical attributes (natural and urban characteristics) and two factors of emotional experiences (self-recovery and distress). Content analytically detected types of favorite places differed meaningfully across the four factors and between the two nationalities. Latent profile analyses of the factors in the two samples yielded four types of person-environment fit in the favorite place in the Finnish and five in the Hungarian sample. Beyond subgroups with restorative place experiences ("self-restoration in nature"), some subgroups showed ambivalent place characteristics. These included "places of distress" and "environments for distress and recovery" at home and in nature. Results indicate a novel phenomenon called "distress-related" or "ambivalent place preference." These results highlight the complexity of environmental self-regulation strategies relating to favorite places and the need for cross-cultural studies and dynamic, process-oriented research approaches.

A growing body of literature suggests that visual contact with bluespace may benefit people's mental health. However, whether these benefits vary with the type of bluespace and length of contact duration is unclear. We addressed this critical knowledge gap by conducting a photograph-based experimental study to examine individual mental responses (n = 30) to three types of bluespace (Falling, Flowing, and Static bluespaces) and one control condition (Streetspaces).The participants were assigned to view four conditions in a random sequence in a laboratory. The effect of each condition on mental health was primarily measured through a portable electroencephalogram (EEG) device that continuously recorded brainwaves throughout each contact. We then administered the Restorative Components Scale (RCS) questionnaire as a secondary measure to the participants, who reported psychological states immediately after each contact.We have four main findings. First, visual contact with all three bluespaces yielded significantly greater mental health promotion effects than visual contact with streetspace. Second, the promotion effects of bluespaces varied, and the Falling bluespace was found to be the most beneficial type, as contact with it yielded the highest level of alpha brainwaves, the lowest level of beta brainwaves, and the highest score on the RCS questionnaire. Third, the type of environment appears to be the main factor, and contact duration appears to be the minor factor in explaining the differences in the mental health promotion effects. Finally, a 3-min contact with bluespaces is sufficient to promote mental health. We provide suggestions for future research into bluespaces and how bluespaces can be used to promote urban residents' mental health and well-being.

Physical activity performed in a natural environment, especially among green spaces, is associated with mental health benefits. Yet few studies have explored the separable influences of visual perception on the effects of green exercise. The present study assessed the extent to which two components of visual perception (form and color) contributed to mental health benefits by separating the form and color characteristics of an image of a green tree. In total, 76 healthy college students (18–24 years of age) engaged in incremental cycling exercise at a moderate intensity while viewing an image in front of them on a large screen. Participants were randomly assigned to one of four groups in which the image they viewed was a green tree, an achromatic tree, a formless color green, or a formless achromatic color. Before and after cycling (test time), participants’ selective attention, mood state, and self-esteem were assessed using the Perception and Attention Function battery and the Chinese versions of the Profile of Mood States scale and the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, respectively. Significant interactions detected between test time and form perception indicated that scores in total mood disturbance decreased and scores in the esteem subscale and self-esteem scale increased after cycling while viewing trees. A significant interaction between test time and color perception indicated that anger decreased in the two green color conditions. A significant interaction of color perception by form perception by test time was associated with a significant decrease in response times on the attention task after cycling among participants who viewed the green tree. Our findings are important for interpreting mechanisms underlying characteristics attributable to environmental benefits and revealed that single (color or form) or combined (color and form) visual perception improved the mental health benefits of exercise. These findings may also inform the design and planning of urban green spaces to maximize green exercise effects.