Greenspace Exposure During Everyday Mobility and Working Memory in Older Adults: Momentary Benefits Amid Stressors

While residential greenspace has been linked to better cognitive function in older adults, it remains unclear whether short-term greenspace exposure during everyday mobility can provide immediate cognitive benefits. Stress may play a critical role in this process, as it reflects a mismatch between environmental demands and personal resources and may signal an increased need for restoration.

This ambulatory assessment study examined the association between greenspace exposure and cognition in daily life, as well as the moderating role of stress. Over a two-week period, 123 older adults (aged 65-89 years) wore a GPS device that continuously recorded their mobility trajectories and carried a smartphone to complete repeated working memory tasks and experience sampling assessments of stressors approximately every two hours (seven times per day).

Multilevel models showed that, at the within-person level, greater-than-usual greenspace exposure in the past two hours was associated with higher-than-usual momentary working memory performance when stressor occurrence was reported, compared to moments when stressors were not reported. At the between-person level, individuals with higher overall greenspace exposure showed better working memory performance.

These findings suggest that the cognitive benefits of greenspace exposure are context-dependent, emerging when stressors were recently present and when the need for restoration may be high. More broadly, our findings point to a dynamic, needs-based process in which everyday mobility through natural environments may support cognitive health among older adults.