The DOI matches its Crossref record; 33 of the 35 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Would You Be Happier Living in a Greener Urban Area? A Fixed-Effects Analysis of Panel Data
Abstract
Urbanization is a potential threat to mental health and well-being. Cross-sectional evidence suggests that living closer to urban green spaces, such as parks, is associated with lower mental distress. However, earlier research was unable to control for time-invariant heterogeneity (e.g., personality) and focused on indicators of poor psychological health. The current research advances the field by using panel data from over 10,000 individuals to explore the relation between urban green space and well-being (indexed by ratings of life satisfaction) and between urban green space and mental distress (indexed by General Health Questionnaire scores) for the same people over time. Controlling for individual and regional covariates, we found that, on average, individuals have both lower mental distress and higher well-being when living in urban areas with more green space. Although effects at the individual level were small, the potential cumulative benefit at the community level highlights the importance of policies to protect and promote urban green spaces for well-being.
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“For example, exposure to natural environments decreases stress, increases happiness, improves mood, and restores attention (Berto, 2005; Bowler, Buyung-Ali, Knight, & Pullin, 2010; White, Alcock, Wheeler, & Depledge, 2013).”
From Behavioral trainings and manipulations to reduce delay discounting: A systematic review (2019) · cites this paper as White, Alcock, Wheeler, & Depledge, 2013
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Metadata
- Authors
- White, M. P., Alcock, I., Wheeler, B. W., & Depledge, M. H.
- Affiliations
- University of Exeter (GB)
- Corresponding author
- White, Mathew P.
- Venue
- Psychological Science
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2013-04-23
- Volume
- 24
- Issue
- 6
- Pages
- 920-928
- ISSN
- 0956-7976 (ISSN-L)
- 1467-9280
- OpenAlex
- W2120746786
- Semantic Scholar
- 513f5cd110cb3c1b93ab6f878bd7227e2d7abb78
- Cited by
- 906
- References
- 35
- Citations by year
- 2026: 60 · 2025: 61 · 2024: 82 · 2023: 83 · 2022: 76 · 2021: 85 · 2020: 72 · 2019: 82 · 2018: 72 · 2017: 66 · 2016: 55 · 2015: 63 · 2014: 39 · 2013: 10
- FWCI
- 40.84
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Psychological Science (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- Association for Psychological Science
- University of Exeter
- European Regional Development Fund
- European Social Fund
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Urban Studies › Urban Green Space and Health
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Psychological Well-being and Life Satisfaction
- Social Sciences › Health › Health disparities and outcomes
- Keywords
- urban green space, psychological distress, life satisfaction, well-being, urbanization, parks, mental health, urban planning policy
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Aged, Cross-Sectional Studies, Environment Design, Female, United Kingdom, Happiness, Health Status, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Personal Satisfaction, Stress, Psychological, Urban Population, Young Adult
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