Exploring the Links Between Biophilic and Restorative Qualities of Exterior and Interior Spaces in Leon, Guanajuato, Mexico.

The interactive role of the ecological, architectural, biophilic, and sensory qualities of outdoor and indoor spaces in the restorative experiences of urban inhabitants is little known. We analyzed the restorative influence on mood states and situational stress related to exposure to vegetation proportion, spatial extension, landmark salience, biophilic architecture, people density, street visual access, olfactory pleasantness, and noise of 65 public spaces in a Mexican city. The environmental qualities of these places were analyzed with multidimensional scaling (MDS), leading to eight space categories (e.g., historic squares with biophilic architecture, large parks, street scenes, and interiors with non-biophilic architecture). Ratings of the restorative potential, mood states, situational stress, olfactory pleasantness, and noise annoyance were evaluated on such places and modeled through a structural equation modeling (SEM). The model shows that the restorative influence of the environmental qualities on moods and stress was related to a decrease in experiences of negative moods and perceived stress, and an increase of positive mood states. Based on our findings, we discuss design guidelines, emphasizing the relevance of including vegetation and built elements with biophilic qualities to create restorative environments.

Observation of environments with different restorative potential results in differences in eye patron movements and pupillary size.

The Environmental Psychological Restoration (EPR) is the result of the recovery of an antecedent deficit (e.g. stress or attentional fatigue) culminating in a restorative environment exposure. Recent findings suggest that visual contact with nature is important in triggering restorative responses. We measure the behavioral evidence of visual exposure to restorative environments in an eye-tracking study. Eye movement patterns (fixations and pupil dilatation) were evaluated while a sample of participants (n = 27; 15 females and 12 males) viewed photographs with High Restorative Potential (HRP) or Low Restorative Potential (LRP). The eye patterns during the observation of LRP were distinct to those of the HRP environments. Eye movements related to LRP photographs were characterized by a greater number of fixations compared to those related to HRP. Fixation times predicted an inverse relation, with LRP settings having a significantly shorter time per fixation than HRP pictures. Differences on pupil diameter were found. A higher pupil size was found during the view of HRP vs. LRP environments. Our eye tracking study suggest that restorative environment observation is associated with reduced eye movement activity relative to low restorative potential environment perception, which may reflect a lower cognitive effort in processing natural scenes. Likewise, pupillary dilatation variations suggest a possible link between the affective valences of the settings and its restorative quality. Data results are confronted according to attention restoration theory on restorative environments.

Neural correlates of the natural observation of an emotionally loaded video.

Studies based on a paradigm of free or natural viewing have revealed characteristics that allow us to know how the brain processes stimuli within a natural environment. This method has been little used to study brain function. With a connectivity approach, we examine the processing of emotions using an exploratory method to analyze functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data. This research describes our approach to modeling stress paradigms suitable for neuroimaging environments. We showed a short film (4.54 minutes) with high negative emotional valence and high arousal content to 24 healthy male subjects (36.42 years old; SD = 12.14) during fMRI. Independent component analysis (ICA) was used to identify networks based on spatial statistical independence. Through this analysis we identified the sensorimotor system and its influence on the dorsal attention and default-mode networks, which in turn have reciprocal activity and modulate networks described as emotional.

Impact of stress and levels of corticosterone on the development of breast cancer in rats.

Stress is experienced during cancer, and impairs the immune system's ability to protect the body. Our aim was to investigate if isolation stress has an impact on the development of tumors in rats, and to measure the size and number of tumors and the levels of corticosterone. Breast cancer was induced in two groups of female rats (N=20) by administration of a single dose of N-methyl-N-nitrosourea 50 mg/kg. Rats in the control group (cancer induction condition) were allowed to remain together in a large cage, whereas in the second group, rats were also exposed to a stressful condition, that is, isolation (cancer induction and isolation condition, CIIC). The CIIC group displayed anxious behavior after 10 weeks of isolation. In the CIIC group, 16 tumors developed, compared with only eleven tumors in the control cancer induction condition group. In addition, compared with the control group, the volume of tumors in the CIIC group was greater, and more rats had more than one tumor and cells showed greater morphological damage. Levels of corticosterone were also significantly different between the two groups. This study supports the hypothesis that stress can influence the development of cancer, but that stress itself is not a sufficient factor for the development of cancer in rats. The study also provides new information for development of experimental studies and controlled environments.

Affective and restorative valences for three environmental categories.

The present study evaluated images of environments in three categories with different affective and restorative valences through two computerized assessments. A non-verbal computerized response scale and the Mexican Scale of Environmental Restoration Perception were employed. 104 students assessed the affective qualities of 117 images (47 natural, 37 urban with nature, and 33 built-up without nature) according to pleasure and activation dimensions. Then 96 students assessed 54 images with high and low valence for their restorative quality. Natural images were found to generate positive affective reactions of liking and activation and high restorative quality. Affective responses to urban with nature environments tended to be positive with moderate restorative quality. Built-up without nature environments were perceived as less pleasant and had low restorative quality. However, among built-up without nature environments, some settings with striking architectural qualities evoked positive affective valences.

Restauración psicológica y naturaleza urbana: algunas implicaciones para la salud mental / Psychological restoration and urban nature: some mental health implications

En las temáticas de promoción de salud mental existe una carencia sistemática de investigaciones que documenten la importancia de las cualidades del ambiente físico en el desarrollo de políticas públicas de salud. Actualmente existen varias líneas emergentes de investigación sobre ambientes restauradores (AR) y restauración psicológica (RP) que pueden contribuir a la definición conceptual y operativa de las cualidades del ambiente que pueden ser relevantes para promover la salud mental. La RP se relaciona con la recuperación de los recursos cognitivos y de la capacidad de respuesta psicofisiológica que experimentan las personas ante la exposición a ambientes con cualidades restauradoras. En el presente estudio se documenta la aplicación de un modelo ecológico social del impacto de la naturaleza urbana en la RP considerando un contexto de vivienda. Se planteó como objetivo documentar los posibles efectos restauradores de variables relacionadas con la presencia de Naturaleza Urbana-NU (e.g. vistas de naturaleza en las ventanas de las viviendas, plantas y jardines interiores, proximidad de áreas verdes exteriores), Procesos Psicológicos de Transacción con el Medio Ambiente - PPTRAMA (actividades con la naturaleza y percepción de restauración ambiental de la vivienda) sobre indicadores emotivos y cognitivos de la RP. Para conseguir tal objetivo se ha llevado a cabo un estudio en el que se entrevistaron en sus domicilios a 120 personas (edad media 45.73 años, 63 hombres y 57 mujeres) de la Zona Metropolitana de la Ciudad de México. Por medio de un modelo de ecuaciones estructurales se comprobó que la NU tiene efectos directos e indirectos en la dimensión emotiva y cognitiva de la RP. Del abordaje teórico, conceptual y metodológico se desprende una plataforma conceptual a partir de la cual es posible desarrollar investigación innovadora con implicaciones empíricas relevantes para la promoción de la salud mental.

Topics relating to mental health promotion systematically lack research that documents the importance of physical environment qualities in the development of public health policies. At the present time, several emerging research lines regarding restorative environments (RE) and psychological restoration (PR) may contribute to the conceptual and operational definition of relevant environmental qualities promoting mental health. PR relates to the recovery of people's cognitive resources and psychophysiological responses when exposed to environments with restorative qualities. The present study documents the application of an ecological social model regarding the impact of urban nature on PR in a housing context. We posed the objective to document possible restoration effects of variables related to Urban Nature-UN (for example, views of nature from housing windows, indoor plants and gardens, proximity to outdoor green areas) and Psychological Transaction Processes with the Environment - PTRAPE (activities in nature and perception of environmental restoration of housing) on emotional and cognitive indicators of PR. To achieve this goal, we carried out a study with 120 individual home interviews (mean age of 45.73 years, 63 men and 57 women) in the metropolitan area of Mexico City. The structural equations model showed that UN has both direct and indirect effects on emotional and cognitive dimension of PR. This theoretical, conceptual, and methodological approach provides a conceptual platform to carry out innovative research with relevant empirical implications for mental health promotion.