Psychology research on natural environments

Preference, connectedness, and restorativeness

Abstract

Over the past few years, the number of psychology studies focusing on human-nature relationships has been largely increasing. These studies can be grouped into 3 categories on the basis of their topics: (a) preferences for natural scenery, (b) the sense of connectedness with nature and its relationship with pro-environmental behaviors and attitudes, and (c) psycho-physiological effects of nature experiences. Preference for natural scenes is a relatively old topic in this area of research. In many studies, people's preference for certain natural environments is often explained from an evolutionary perspective. In contrast, connectedness with nature is a new concept that has recently become popular. With regard to the benefits of exposure to nature, the restorative effects of such exposure, such as improved recovery from mental fatigue, have attracted attention over the years. In this article, I provided an overview of this area of research and discussed its current problems and future directions.