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Updated: Nov 27, 2025
05:33
Measuring Biophysical and Psychological Stress Levels Following Visitation to Three Locations with Differing Levels of Nature
Published on: June 19, 2019
8.8K
Enjoying nature, exercise, social interaction, and affect: A daily diary study.
1VISN 17 Center of Excellence for Research on Returning War Veterans, USA.
Journal of Health Psychology
|December 3, 2020
Summary
Enjoying nature with others daily boosts mood. Nature enjoyment alone also impacts mood over time, even when accounting for exercise and social activities.
Area of Science:
- Environmental psychology
- Positive psychology
- Health and well-being research
Background:
- Daily nature enjoyment is increasingly recognized for its mental health benefits.
- Understanding the specific pathways, such as social interaction and exercise, is crucial for maximizing these benefits.
- Previous research has not fully elucidated the nuanced relationship between solitary vs. social nature enjoyment and affect.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the pathways linking daily nature enjoyment to affect.
- To determine if exercise and social interaction fully explain the association between nature enjoyment and affect.
- To differentiate the effects of enjoying nature alone versus with others on daily affect.
Main Methods:
- Utilized data from the Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) refresher study.
- Collected daily survey data from 782 participants over 8 days.
- Employed multilevel modeling to analyze within-person and between-person effects.
Main Results:
- Enjoying nature with others predicted daily affect at the within-person level.
- Enjoying nature alone did not predict affect at the within-person level.
- Enjoying nature alone predicted affect at the between-person level, and these associations persisted after controlling for exercise and social interaction.
Conclusions:
- Social nature enjoyment has immediate positive effects on affect.
- Solitary nature enjoyment contributes to overall affect, independent of exercise and social interaction.
- Interventions promoting nature engagement should consider both social and solitary experiences for comprehensive well-being benefits.
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