Psychological Restoration Can Depend on Stimulus-Source Attribution: A Challenge for the Evolutionary Account?
Andreas Haga1, Niklas Halin1, Mattias Holmgren1
1Department of Building, Energy and Environmental Engineering, University of Gävle Gävle, Sweden.
Frontiers in Psychology
|December 10, 2016
Summary
Psychological restoration from nature sounds is influenced by learned associations, not just evolutionary responses. Assigning meaning to stimuli, like nature sounds, enhances restorative effects.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Psychology
- Cognitive Psychology
Background:
- Nature environments offer psychological restoration, unlike built environments.
- Restoration is often attributed to intrinsic environmental features and evolutionary hardwired responses.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if the meaning assigned to a stimulus influences its restorative potential.
- To test the hypothesis that learned associations, not just stimulus features, drive nature-based restoration.
Main Methods:
- Participants completed cognitive tests before and after a pause.
- During the pause, participants heard ambiguous noise, with its source attributed to either nature (waterfall) or industry (machinery), or no source was given.
- Mental exhaustion was self-reported post-pause.
Main Results:
- Participants exposed to the 'nature sound-source' reported greater psychological restoration than those in the 'industrial sound-source' condition.
- This suggests that perceived meaning significantly impacts restorative outcomes.
Conclusions:
- Restorative effects of nature experiences may stem from learned positive associations rather than solely innate, evolutionary responses.
- The meaning attributed to environmental stimuli plays a crucial role in psychological restoration.
Keywords:
built environmentevolutionary accountnature environmentpsychological restorationrestorative environmentsstimulus-source attributionMore Related Videos
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