Fast Fact Library

Subjects recovered better from low-level stress when looking out a glass window at nature than when looking at a HDTV real-time display of nature through a plasma display, and recovered better when looking at the...

Kahn, Peter H., Batya Friedman, Brian Gill, Jennifer Hagman, Rachel L. Severson, Nathan G. Freier, Erika N. Feldman, Sybil Carrère, and Anna Stolyar. (2008). A plasma display window?—The shifting baseline problem in a technologically mediated natural world. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 28(2), 192-199.

Parks containing a paved or unpaved trail and parks with wooded areas were 7 times more likely to be used for physical activity than parks without such features. The size of the park and its distance from users'...

Kaczynski, Andrew T., Potwarka, Luke, Saelens, Brian E. (2008) Association of park size, distance, and features with physical activity in neighborhood parks. American Journal of Public Health 98(8), 1451-1457.

Experiencing nature promotes recovery from crisis better than taking a walk or interacting with friends, and the benefits may be larger for those who are suffering the most. People with many experiences of nature...

Ottosson, Johan, and Patrik Grahn. (2008). The role of natural settings in crisis rehabilitation: How does the level of crisis influence the response to experiences of nature with regard to measures of rehabilitation? Landscape Research, 33(1), 51-70.

Children living in areas of New York City with more street trees have a lower prevalence of asthma, as indicated by a study of children aged 4-5 years in 42 health service catchment areas. The rate of early...

Lovasi, Gina S., James W. Quinn, Kathryn M. Neckerman, Matthew S. Perzanowski, and Andrew Rundle. (July 2008). Children living in areas with more street trees have lower prevalence of asthma. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health 62(7): 647-649. http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/jech.2007.071894

The perceived health of residents increases as the amount of green space increases within 3 km of their homes, regardless of how urban the respondents' homes are. 15.5% of respondents living near the lowest amount...

Maas, Jolanda, Robert A. Verheij, Peter P. Groenewegen, Sjerp De Vries, and Peter Spreeuwenberg. “Green Space, Urbanity, and Health: How Strong Is the Relation?” Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health 60, no. 7 (July 2006): 587–92. https://doi.org/10.1136/jech.2005.043125.

A study of 8 British schools revealed that moderate to vigorous physical activity levels were 32% higher for children on playgrounds with brightly colored markings as compared to activity levels of children on...

Stratton, Gareth, and Elaine Mullan. “The Effect of Multicolor Playground Markings on Children’s Physical Activity Level during Recess.” Preventive Medicine 41, no. 5-6 (2005): 828-33. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ypmed.2005.07.009.

Elderly residents in a geriatric home had increased powers of concentration after a visit to a garden, compared to after relaxing in a favorite room indoors. 

Ottoson, Johan and Patrik Grahn. (2005). A Comparison of Leisure Time Spent in a Garden with Leisure Time Spent Indoors: On Measures of Restoration in Residents in Geriatric Care. Landscape Research 30, 1: 23-55.

Office workers with views of nature report greater job satisfaction than those with no views or views without nature.

Kaplan, Rachel. (2003). The Role of Nature in the Context of the Workplace. Landscape and Urban Planning, 26(1), 193-201.

Neighborhood design, namely walkability, may contribute to significantly more overall physical activity of residents. In walkable neighborhoods, the increase in walking for errands amounted to 70 more minutes of...

Saelens, Brian E., James F. Sallis, Jennifer B. Black, and Diana Chen. (2003) Neighborhood-based differences in physical activity: An environment scale evaluation. American Journal of Public Health 93(9), 1552-1559.

In a study that compared psychophysiological stress recovery and directed attention restoration, people recovered from stressful situations faster when they sat in a room with a window view of trees compared to when...

Hartig, Terry, Gary W. Evans, Larry D. Jamner, Deborah S. Davis, and Tommy Gärling. (2003). Tracking restoration in natural and urban field settings. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 23(2), 109-123.