ABSTRACT

Background: Performing physical activity whilst exposed to nature can improve health. However, there is little evidence of its impact on stress outcomes. The aim of this study was to examine the influence of the visual exercise environment on the response to a psychosocial stressor.

Methods: Eighteen participants were randomized to one of three conditions: i. nature; ii. built or; iii. control condition. Participants exercised for 30 min on a treadmill at 50% of their VO₂max whilst viewing a video of either a natural or built environment or a blank screen. Following the exercise, participants completed the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST), a standardized laboratory stressor. Salivary samples were collected before, during and after the TSST to calculate cortisol reactivity and recovery.

Results: One-way ANOVA revealed a significant effect of viewing condition on cortisol reactivity [F _{(2, 11)} = 4.686, p = .034; n ² _p  = .460]; with significantly lower reactivity in the built compared to the nature condition (p = .027, d = 1.73). There was no effect of condition on cortisol recovery (p = .137; n ² _p = .257).

Conclusions: In the context of the adverse health impact of lower (i.e., blunted) cortisol responding, these findings could indicate a negative impact of the built environment on stress responses.

摘要

背景：在接触大自然的同时进行体育活动可以改善健康。然而，几乎没有证据表明它对压力结果的影响。本研究的目的是检查视觉锻炼环境对社会心理压力源反应的影响。

方法：十八名参与者被随机分配到以下三种情况之一：i。自然; ii. 建造或；三、控制条件。参与者行使30分钟在跑步机上在它们的VO的50％₂最大，同时观看或者是天然的或建筑环境或空白屏幕的视频。演习结束后，参与者完成了特里尔社会压力测试 (TSST)，这是一种标准化的实验室压力源。在 TSST 之前、期间和之后收集唾液样本以计算皮质醇反应性和恢复。

结果：单向方差分析揭示了观察条件对皮质醇反应性的显着影响 [ F _{(2, 11)}  = 4.686, p  = .034; n ² _p = .460]；与自然条件相比，建筑中的反应性显着降低（p  = .027，d =  1.73）。条件对皮质醇恢复没有影响（p  = .137；n ² _p = .257）。 

结论：在较低（即迟钝）皮质醇反应对健康造成不利影响的背景下，这些发现可能表明建筑环境对压力反应有负面影响。