The psychology of recent nature visits: (how) are motives and attentional focus related to post-visit restorative experiences, creativity, and emotional well-being?
Open accessAbstract
The health-enhancing benefits of contact with nature have become widely recognized, but empirical studies that consider the motives and attentional focus of nature visits are lacking. These psychological qualities may partly determine why one visits natural environments and why some visits are more restorative than others. This study examined recent nature visits by Finnish survey respondents ( n = 565) via exploratory structural equation modeling. In the estimated models, motives and attentional focus explained 54% to 57% of post-visit restorativeness, 22% of creativity, and 33% to 37% of emotional well-being. Of the assessed motives, stress reduction was most strongly connected to increased restorativeness and emotional well-being. The motive to be alone showed a positive indirect—but negative direct—connection to emotional well-being. In addition, focus on oneself, the activity, and the environment were positively associated with the outcomes. The results indicate that motives and attentional focus are strongly connected to the outcomes of nature visits.
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Different types of motivation for visiting green space are associated with the perceived outcomes of nature visits.
“different types of motivation are associated with the perceived outcomes of nature visits, with relevant studies showing that 5 min of exercise in a natural environment can improve mood and self-esteem (43), stress reduction motivation and increased emotional well-being are the strongest associations (44)”
From The health perception of urban green spaces and its emotional impact on young adults: an empirical study from three cities in China (2023) · cites this paper as [44]
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- Authors
- Pasanen, T. P., Neuvonen, M., & Korpela, K. M.
- Affiliations
- University of Tampere (FI)
- Natural Resources Institute Finland (FI)
- Corresponding author
- Pasanen, Tytti P.
- Venue
- Environment and Behavior
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2017-07-18
- Volume
- 50
- Issue
- 8
- Pages
- 913-944
- ISSN
- 0013-9165 (ISSN-L)
- 1552-390X
- OpenAlex
- W2738386080
- Cited by
- 70
- References
- 73
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2 · 2025: 12 · 2024: 12 · 2023: 7 · 2022: 11 · 2021: 10 · 2020: 6 · 2019: 4 · 2018: 6
- FWCI
- 2.37
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- trepo.tuni.fi
- Locations
- Environment and Behavior (publishedVersion)
- Tampere University Institutional Repository (Tampere University) (acceptedVersion)
- Tampere University Institutional Repository (Tampere University) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
- Jukuri (Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke)) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- Koneen Säätiö (25021999)
- Suomen Akatemia (2501255431)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis › Urban Green Space and Health
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Recreation, Leisure, Wilderness Management
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Nature and Landscape Conservation › Environmental Philosophy and Ethics
- Keywords
- nature visits, restorative environments, attentional focus, creativity, emotional well-being, stress reduction, solitude, nature exposure
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