| Description |
Research suggests urban settings may induce stress and attentional fatigue. Stress Recovery Theory and Attention Restoration Theory propose exposure to natural environments reduce stress and restore attention. Exploring this, we had 26 participants complete testing before, during, and after a 5-day nature trip. Participant heart rate variability (measured by Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia) and self-reported perceived stress were used to determine if prolonged immersion in nature promotes stress recovery. Responses to a cognitive task were used to determine if prolonged immersion in nature promotes attention restoration. We hypothesized that the exposure to nature will increase activity of the parasympathetic nervous system, reflected by an increase in heart rate variability, which would indicate recovery of stress and greater control over the stress response during attention regulation. We also expected the participants would report less perceived stress and show improved performance on the cognitive task in the nature condition relative to the urban sessions. Results for self-reported perceived stress were consistent with our hypothesis, while results for heart rate variability and cognitive tasks were inconsistent with our predictions. Notably, we found a decrease in heart rate variability during the nature condition, contradicting our hypothesis. This study provides additional data on how immersion in nature affects humans on a physiological level, which could help us better understand how nature impacts the individual at a time of increased urbanization. |
