Previous research has noted potential emotional benefits of being in nature. This study examined whether nature appreciation is also positively related to perception of work-value. Frequency of nature appreciation and a number of variables related to emotion, well-being, and perceived work value were analyzed using hierarchical regression techniques with a publicly available data set, consisting of a large sample of middle-aged and older adults. Nature appreciation was significantly associated with certain emotional outcomes including increased positive affect, well-being, as well as reduced perceived stress. Nature was also associated with increased epinephrine, implying a complex relationship between nature and emotion regulation. Nature offers numerous benefits for individuals across the spectrum of psychological functioning. The findings are relevant for psychologists in promoting the well being of workers.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
AriesM.B.C.VeitchJ.A.NewshamG.R. (2010). Windows, view, and office characteristics predict physical and psychological discomfort. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 30, 533-541. doi 10.1016/j.jenvp.2009.12.004
2.
BermanM.G.JonidesJ.KaplanS. (2008). The cognitive benefits of interacting with nature. Psychological Science, 19, 1207–1212. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-9280.2008.02225.x
3.
BertoR.BaroniM.R.ZainaghiA.BettellaS. (2010). An exploratory study of the effect of high and low fascination environments on attentional fatigue. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 30, 494-500. doi:10.1016/j.jenvp.2009.12.002
4.
ClarkL.A.WatsonD. (1991). Tripartite model of anxiety and depression: psychometric evidence and taxonomic implications. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 100, 316-336. doi: 10.1037/0021-843X.100.3.316
5.
CohenS.KamarckT.MermelsteinR. (1983). A global measure of perceived stress. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 24, 385-396.
6.
ElmadjianF.HopeJ. M.LamsonE. T. (1957). Excretion of epinephriene and norepinephrine in various emotional states. The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, 17, 608-620. doi: 10.1210/jcem-17-5-608
7.
FontaniniA.KatzD. B. (2008). Behavioral states, network states, and sensory response variability. Journal of Neurophysiology, 100, 1160-1168.
8.
FrumkinH. (2001). Beyond toxicity: human health and the natural environment. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 20, 234-240. doi: 10.1016/S0749-3797(00)00317-2
9.
FredricksonB.LBraniganC. (2005). Positive emotions broaden the scope of attention and thought-action repertoires. Cognition & Emotion, 1, 313-332. doi:10.1080/02699930441000238.
10.
GardnerH.CsikszentmihalyiM.DamonW. (2001). Good work: When excellence and ethics meet. New York, NY: Basic Books
11.
GotoS.ParkB. J.TsunetsuguY.HerrupK.MiyazakiY. (2012). The effect of garden designs on mood and heart output in older adults residing in an assisted living facility. Health Environments Research & Design Journal, 6, 27-42.
12.
HalkosG.BousinakisD. (2010). The effect of stress and satisfaction on productivity. International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management, 59, 415-431. doi: 10.1108/17410401011052869
13.
HancockP.A. (2009). Mind, machine, and morality. Burlington, VT: Ashgate.
14.
HansenÅ. M.GardeA. H.ChristensenJ. M.EllerN. H.NetterstrømB. (2001). Reference intervals and variation for urinary epinephrine, norepinephrine and cortisol in healthy men and women in Denmark. Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine, 39, 842-849. doi: 10.1515/CCLM.2001.140
15.
HeerwagenJ. (2009). Biophilia, health and well-being. Restorative Commons: Creating Health and Well-being through Urban Landscapes, USDA Forest Service, Pennsylvania, 39-57.
16.
HockeyG. R. J. (1997). Compensatory control in the regulation of human performance under stress and high workload: A cognitive-energetical framework. Biological Psychology, 45(1-3), 73-93. doi: 10.1016/S0301-0511(96)05223-4
17.
JudgeT. A.ThoresenC. J.BonoJ. E.PattonG. K. (2001). The job satisfaction–job performance relationship: A qualitative and quantitative review. Psychological Bulletin, 127, 376-407. doi: I0.1037//0033-2909.I27.3.376
18.
JudgeT. A.WatanabeS. (1993). Another look at the job satisfaction-life satisfaction relationship. Journal of Applied Psychology, 78, 939-948. doi: 10.1037/0021-9010.78.6.939
19.
KahnemanD.RiisJ. (2005). Living, and thinking about it: Two perspectives on life. In HuppertF.A.KaverneB.BaylisN. (eds.), The science of well-being, (pp 285-304) London, U.K.: Oxford University Press.
20.
KaplanS. (1995). The restorative benefits of nature: Toward an integrative framework. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 15, 169-182. doi:10.1016/0272-4944(95)90001-2
LukersmithS.Burgess-LimerickR. (2013). The perceived importance and presence of creative potential in the health professional’s work environment. Ergonomics, advance online publication. doi: 10.1080/00140139.2013.779033
23.
MallerC.TownsendM.PryorA.BrownP.LegerL. (2005). Healthy nature healthy people: ‘contact with nature’ as an upstream health promotion intervention for populations. Health Promotion International, 21, 45-54. doi:10.1093/heapro/dai032
24.
McCulloughM.E.EmmonsR.A.TsangJ. (2002). The grateful disposition: a conceptual and empirical topography. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 82, 112-127. doi: 10.1037//0022-3514.82.1.112
25.
MezzacappaE. S.KatkinE.S.PalmerS.N. (1999). Epinephrine, arousal, and emotion: A new look at two-factor theory. Cognition & Emotion, 13, 181-199. doi: 10.1080/026999399379320
26.
OswaldA. J.ProtoE.SgroiD. (2009). Happiness and productivity. IZA discussion papers, No. 4645. Available at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=1526075
27.
PavotW.DienerE. (1993). Review of the satisfaction with life scale. Psychological Assessment, 5, 164-172. doi: 10.1037/1040-3590.5.2.164
28.
PrenticeD.A.MillerD.T. (1992). When small effects are impressive. Psychological Bulletin, 112, 160-164. doi: 10.1037/0033-2909.112.1.160
29.
RaanaasR.K.EvensenK.H.RichD.SjostromG.PatilG. (2011). Benefits of indoor plants on attention capacity in an office setting. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 31, 99-105. doi 10.1016/j.jenvp.2010.11.005
30.
RyanR.M.WeinsteinN.BernsteinJ.BrownK.W.MistrettaL.GagnéM. (2010). Vitalizing effects of being outdoors and in nature. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 30, 159-168. doi:10.1016/j.jenvp.2009.10.009
31.
RyffC.D.SeemanT.WeinsteinM. (2010). National Survey of Midlife Development in the United States (MIDUS II): Biomarker Project, 2004-2009 [Computer file]. ICPSR29282-v1. Ann Arbor, MI: Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research [distributor], 2010-09-24. doi:10.3886/ICPSR29282.v1
32.
SchaufeliW. B.BakkerA. B.SalanovaM. (2006). The measurement of work engagement with a short questionnaire. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 66, 701-716. doi: 10.1177/0013164405282471
33.
SonnentagS. (2012). Psychological detachment from work during leisure time: The benefits of mentally disengaging from work. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 21, 114-118. doi: 10.1177/0963721411434979
34.
StaatsH. (2012). Restorative environments. In ClaytonS. (Ed.) The Oxford Handbook of Environmental and Conservation Psychology (pp. 445-458). New York, NY: Oxford University Press
35.
WhiteM. P.AlcockI.WheelerB. W.DepledgeM. H.(2013). Would you be happier living in a greener urban area? A fixed-effects analysis of panel data. Psychological Science, published online before print, April23, 2013. doi: 0956797612464659
36.
WongD. L.TaiT. C.Wong-FaullD. C.ClaycombR.MeloniE. G.MyersK. M.CarlezonW.A.Jr.KvetnanskyR. (2012). Epinephrine: A short-and long-term regulator of stress and development of illness. Cellular and Molecular Neurobiology, 32, 737-748. doi: 10.1007/s10571-011-9768-0
37.
WoodA. M.FrohJ. J.GeraghtyA. W. (2010). Gratitude and well-being: A review and theoretical integration. Clinical Psychology Review, 30, 890-905. doi: 10.1016/j.cpr.2010.03.005
38.
WickensC. D.HollandsJ. (2000). Engineering psychology and human performance (3rd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
