Then you can hug them
By BANGOR UNIVERSITY
.webp)
Study Details and Findings
A total of 117 urban residents participated
in the study. They embarked on a 45-minute urban walk while wearing
eye-tracking glasses. Participants were instructed to focus their gaze on
trees, plants, lawns, flowers, man-made structures, or a combination of both.
The results showed that focusing on nature, particularly trees, was linked to
improvements in mental health metrics such as anxiety levels and feelings of
restoration.
Dr. Whitney Fleming, a lecturer in Human
Geography at Bangor University, clarified the results by stating, “We found
that the individuals who were guided to direct their gaze more frequently at
green elements reported a significant reduction in anxiety, with trees showing
the most substantial positive effect.”
Urban Design and Mental Health
The findings highlight a strong connection between observing green elements and increased mental well-being, suggesting that even brief interactions with nature can offer mental health advantages. These insights are particularly useful for urban planners and architects.
They
suggest that incorporating more natural features into city landscapes can
significantly enhance the mental well-being of residents. The “Nature Gaze”
study supports the concept of designing urban environments that encourage
engagement with nature, presenting a straightforward yet effective strategy for
improving urban mental health.
Reference: “The nature gaze: Eye-tracking
experiment reveals well-being benefits derived from directing visual attention
towards elements of nature” by Whitney Fleming, Brian Rizowy and Assaf Shwartz,
4 June 2024, People and Nature.
DOI: 10.1002/pan3.10648
This research received support from the
European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program and the Zuckerman
STEM Leadership program.