Effects of 3D Contemplative Landscape Videos on Brain Activity in a Passive Exposure EEG Experiment

Background: Studies on Contemplative Landscapes (CL) show that not only do they have high ecological and visual values and are preferred by a majority of people, but they also can be beneficial to our mental health and well-being. Physical attributes of CL have been studied and operationalized, which has led to the development of the psychometric measurement tool called the Contemplative Landscape Questionnaire (CLQ) (1).Objectives: In the present study, we applied an experimental approach to the analysis of CL. We hypothesized that, when compared to Non-Contemplative Landscapes (NCL), they would induce higher frontal alpha power asymmetry, higher temporal beta power asymmetry and lower bilateral frontal beta power.Methods: Thirty-two healthy individuals (12 female) took part in the study. During the experimental protocol, participants were asked to passively view 12 landscapes, six CL and six NCL, while continuous EEG was recorded in a within-subjects design.Results: We found significantly increased power in the beta frequency band of the right temporal brain regions in the viewings of CL compared to NCLConclusions: The findings suggest that Contemplative Landscapes capture more visual, stimuli-driven attention from the viewers and can be linked with switching attention systems (described in Attention Restoration Theory), which is compatible with a stress reduction mechanism

Types and characteristics of urban and peri-urban green spaces having an impact on human mental health and wellbeing: a systematic review

Green spaces have been put forward as contributing to good mental health. In an urban context, space is a scarce resource while urbanisation and climate change are increasingly putting pressure on existing urban green space infrastructures and increasing morbidity caused by mental health disorders. Policy makers, designers, planners and other practitioners face the challenge of designing public open spaces as well as preserving and improving natural resources that are important for maintaining and optimizing human wellbeing. Knowing which types of blue and green spaces, with which characteristics, are most beneficial for mental health and wellbeing is critical. EKLIPSE received a request from the Ministry in charge of the Environment of France (MTES) to review: “Which types of urban and peri‐urban green and blue spaces, and which characteristics of such spaces, have a significant impact on human mental health and wellbeing?”. After a preliminary scoping, a decision was made to perform two systematic reviews (SR) assessing the specific types and characteristics of blue space (SR1) and green space (SR2) with respect to mental health and wellbeing. This report presents the systematic review for green space (SR2)

How do different types and characteristics of green space impact mental health? A scoping review

1. Green space matters for mental health but is under constant pressure in an increasingly urbanising world. Often there is little space available in cities for green areas, so it is vital to optimise the design and usage of these available green spaces. To achieve this, experts in planning, design and nature conservation need to know which types and characteristics of green spaces are most beneficial for residents' mental health. 2. A scoping review of studies that compare different green space types and characteristics on mental health was conducted. A total of 215 (experimental, observational and qualitative) papers were included in the scoping review. 3. This review highlights a high level of heterogeneity in study design, geographical locations, mental health outcomes and green space measures. Few of the included studies were specifically designed to enable direct comparisons between green space types and characteristics (e.g. between parks and forests). The included studies have predominantly experimental research designs looking at the effects of short-term exposure to green space on short-term mental health outcomes (e.g. affect and physiological stress). More studies enabled only indirect comparisons, either within the same study or between different studies. 4. Analysis of the direction of the mental health outcomes (positive, neutral, negative) from exposure to various types and characteristics of green space found positive (i.e. beneficial) effects across all green space types. However, green space characteristics did appear to render more diverse effects on mental health, which is especially the case for vegetation characteristics (e.g. higher vegetation density can be negative for mental health). 5. The scoping review reveals gaps in the present evidence base, with a specific need for more studies directly comparing green space types and characteristics within the same study. Proposed future research directions include the use of longitudinal research designs focusing on green space characteristics, considering actual exposure and systematically addressing heterogeneity in factors influencing the relation between green spaces and mental health (e.g. type of interaction, user experience)

Can exposure to certain urban green spaces trigger frontal alpha asymmetry in the brain?—Preliminary findings from a passive task EEG study

10.3390/ijerph17020394International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health17239

Visual quality assessment of urban scenes with the contemplative landscape model: Evidence from a compact city downtown core

10.3390/rs12213517Remote Sensing12211-1

“Types and components of urban blue spaces that have a positive impact on mental health and well-being: a systematic review”

“EKLIPSE Mental Health and Green and Blue open spaces" è un progetto sul tema della valutazione dell’impatto sulla salute mentale e il benessere delle persone degli spazi aperti urbani “verdi e blu”, anche mediante l’individuazione di criteri e indicatori prestazionali nel confronto con le sfide poste alla salute dal cambiamento climatico (ricerca in corso). EKLIPSE è un progetto Horizon 2020 finanziato dall'Unione europea che punta a migliorare l'interfaccia tra scienza, politica e società. I gruppi di lavoro di esperti istituiti da EKLIPSE svolgono attività di ricerca rivolta a soddisfare le richieste di conoscenze da parte dei responsabili politici. Il gruppo di lavoro coordinato da Maria Beatrice Andreucci con Annamaria Lammel (Université Paris 8) e Sjerp de Vries (Wageningen University and Research) sta lavorando dal 2017 a una richiesta presentata dal gruppo di lavoro Biodiversity & Health del 3rd French Plan on Health and Environment (PNSE3) – del Ministero dell’Ambiente francese (MTES) in cofinanziamento con l’Organizzazione Mondiale della Sanità. Tale approccio è stato identificato per promuovere l’utilizzo delle NBS nei progetti finanziati nell’ambito di H2020, con l’obiettivo di incrementare la resilienza umana al cambiamento climatico, costruendo una base di evidenza scientifica in termini di benefici prodotti dagli spazi aperti