The emotional, social, and other bonds people have with specific locations, labeled “sense of place” (SoP), have been covered by diverse academic literatures, but conceptual and methodological contradictions and omissions leave their effects unclear. For example, the role of SoP in support of or resistance to siting of potentially hazardous energy facilities is uncertain due to mixed findings, disparate

Contact with natural environments is associated with good health and well-being. Although childhood nature experiences may be important in the development of an individual's relationship with nature and subsequent well-being, previous studies have tended to focus on ‘nature’ in general, and the mechanisms by which childhood experiences influence well-being in adulthood remain insufficiently studied

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The sale of electric vehicles (EVs) is steadily increasing, leading to a huge demand of electricity, which needs to be produced CO2-neutral to make EVs a green alternative. To address this issue, smart charging shifts the charging process to optimal day/night times when (green) energy is available. Especially when charging in public, smart charging may produce external behavioral costs (e.g., charging

People obtain a host of benefits and increased well-being from multi-sensory experiences in natural environments. In order to examine the effects of multi-sensory combinations, this study thus measured physiological (ST, SCL, α-EEG, β-EEG) and psychological (STAI-S) restoration and the overall perceived quality evaluation with four independent plant landscapes (lawn, rose garden, osmanthus garden and

Climate change will drive migration both within and across nations' borders, requiring some temporary and permanent resettlement. Despite the relative novelty of – and growing need for – climate-driven migration, it is unknown whether or how support for climate refugees' plight differs to other refugees. We examine attitudes of people living in the United States (N = 1765) towards refugee policy that

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Air pollution is a major global environmental issue, yet its psychological consequences have only started to receive attention from scholars. We examined whether and how air pollution would lead to self- and other-dehumanization. Across one field study and five pre-registered experimental studies, we showed that air pollution increased people's dehumanization of themselves (Studies 1–2b) and others

This research proposes a novel account for the established benefits of nature on psychological well-being from the perspective of Self-Determination Theory. That is, nature enhances psychological well-being by satisfying the basic psychological needs of autonomy, competence and relatedness. Compared with non-nature control settings, two field experiments consistently showed that participants who were

The experience of chronic environmental contamination (CEC) is an increasingly prevalent environmental hazard faced by communities around the world. Evidence suggests that this experience can be psychologically stressful. However, CEC is an of often-overlooked environmental justice issue and collective action problem in the psychology literature. We explore the role of social capital as a buffer for

Reducing global meat consumption can improve animal welfare, environmental and health issues. Although many people recognize this, they also continue eating meat. When people become aware of their conflicting cognitions regarding meat consumption, such as finding both animal welfare and eating meat important, it can result in aversive feelings, known as cognitive dissonance. We add to the literature

Optimal navigation strategies might differ in different environments. In a closed environment (such as a corridor in a building) local cues at junctions would be best to learn a route. In an open environment distal cues allow a person to gain overall orientation, essential for identifying shortcuts and new paths. A lack of flexibility in strategy use will result in poor performance when navigating

As scientific evidence of the severity of climate change increases, there are indications that this represents a significant psychological burden in the form of climate anxiety on the public. So far very little research has explored the prevalence, predictors, or effects of climate anxiety amongst the public. This study aims to address this gap by exploring climate anxiety in the UK. It addresses the

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Extant theoretical and empirical work posits that perceptions of responsibility are crucial antecedents of pro-environmental attitudes and behaviors. However, the degree to which this association exists reliably, across nations, and across different proenvironmental outcomes (self-reports of attitudes, beliefs, behaviors and policy support), as well as the degree to which national-level factors influence

In an earlier cross-sectional study, Roccato et al. (2021) showed that household crowding during the COVID-19 lockdown was positively related to support for anti-democratic political systems. However, little is known about the persistence of these effect over time. In this study, we examined its duration in a longitudinal study structured in five waves, the first in May–June 2019 (before the COVID-19

Two studies tested the hypothesis that exposure to a small dosage of immersive nature using virtual reality (VR) enhances connectedness to nature (CN) and changes affective states among those with a low level of CN at baseline. In Study 1, participants (N = 31) perceived a three-session (10 min each) virtual nature intervention as restorative and saw a significant and progressive increase in their

Surveys eliciting qualitative judgments of environments might have an objective psychophysical basis. They can employ numeric, single-construct, integer rating scales or ratio scales between opposing negative and positive end-point constructs. Each stimulus can be measured by different ‘averaging’ methods across subjects' ratings. The impacts of these choices on data reliability and validity were investigated

Political and cultural polarisation are leading explanations for climate change denial and inactions as seen in the Cultural Cognition Thesis (CCT). In this view, individuals hold positions on contested issues to conform to their ideological groups: people ascribe to certain beliefs, not to express what they know but to show their group identity. We present a conceptual test of the CCT using high-quality

Introduction The COVID-19 pandemic has influenced the daily lives of people and may affect their well-being. The aim of the present study is to assess well-being and associated factors during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in the general population in three European countries. Methods GreenCOVID was an observational cross-sectional study using an online survey (7 April 2020 to 24 July 2020)

This study investigated the dynamics of stress and recovery responses and their relationships with perceived environmental mastery during one-year of polar winter-over expeditioners in distinct environmental conditions of sub-Antarctic and Antarctic polar station. The findings of multilevel analysis suggested that the several stress and recovery responses experienced by the winterers were characterized

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Research has consistently shown differences in affect and cognition after exposure to different physical environments. The time course of these differences emerging or fading during exploration of environments is less explored, as most studies measure dependent variables only before and after environmental exposure. In this within-subject study, we used repeated surveys to measure differences in thought

Sketch maps are one of the most commonly used instruments to study people's perception of the environment. While previous research has focused on analyzing sketch maps with respect to their accuracy, completeness, or distortion, there is little study focusing on generalization (the level of geometric details of the depicted features) in sketch maps. Furthermore, when investigating people's mental representations

Nature connectedness is recognised for its potential to promote pro-environmental behavior and well-being. While urban green spaces are the main form of direct contact with nature for many people, it is largely unclear which types of natural settings and qualities in urban areas most effectively strengthen human relationships with nature. Wilderness is increasingly acknowledged as contributing to higher

Working time reductions (WTR) are a promising strategy to foster both environmental behaviour and individual well-being. It is unclear, however, whether these possible effects are more likely due to reduced income or to more discretionary time. Moreover, prior studies have only tested the environmental effects of WTR cross-sectionally, and have only tested the well-being effects of WTR including wage

Lockdown policies aimed at decreasing the transmission of COVID-19 showed unintended mental health consequences; however, natural settings may offer a respite for individuals suffering from depression or anxiety symptoms. Previous cross-sectional literature reports protective effects of outdoor exposure on mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic. We longitudinally assess whether green exercise corresponded

The research exploring the association between the built environment and children's mental health and cognitive abilities has produced mixed results. This may be due to the inconsistency in the approach taken to describe the built environment. This study, using data from the Millennium Cohort Study (MCS), a large general-population birth cohort, considered simultaneously several measures to describe

Recent studies reported that bright light exposure can impact mood and cognitive functions in various age groups. However, these studies have not adequately addressed the effects of ambient lighting in living spaces on healthy older adults. In the present study, the effects of a whole-day lighting scheme were examined in residential units inhabited by older adults. The lighting condition (LT) was designed

Certain built environments can decrease aesthetic appeal. For humans and objects, deviation from typical appearances leads to nonlinear appraisal characterized as the uncanny valley. The first time, it was explored whether an uncanny valley can be found for built environments. In Experiment 1, a cubic N-shaped function of uncanniness plotted against realism of built environments was found, indicating

Individual priority of environmental protection over economic growth is predicted by macroeconomic contexts, demographics, and psychological processes. Corresponding supportive evidence exists for each category of predictors, but limited work has synthesized them. The present study attempted to build a parsimonious model to properly predict this priority by simultaneously considering various predictors

The interaction between humans and their living environments is of ubiquitous nature, however the relationship between environmental psychology and cognitive neuropsychology has scarcely been explored. Environmental psychology has approached the human-environment relation through psychological concepts such as affordance, attachment, identity, safety, or aesthetic preference. Cognitive neuropsychology

Do humans have a hard-wired tendency to respond with positive affects to nature or do individual's meanings and learning experiences moderate the affective responses to natural or urban scenes? We studied the relative contributions of inherited dispositions and individual factors (childhood and current nature exposure, nature connectedness) on immediate affective responses to nature and urban scenes

When studying architectural experience in the lab, it is of paramount importance to use a proxy as close to real-world experience as possible. Whilst still images visually describe real spaces, and virtual reality allows for dynamic movement, each medium lacks the alternative attribute. To merge these benefits, we created and validated a novel dataset of valenced videos of first-person-view travel

Although studies have shown that preschoolers can think pro-environmentally, whether they can act pro-environmentally, especially at a personal cost, remains unexplored. We directly investigated how 4–6-year-old preschoolers reacted to pro-environmental and anti-environmental behaviors within their sphere of influence. In two studies (N = 211), children were presented with vignettes that showed both

Romantic partners influence each other's beliefs and behaviors. However, little is known about the dynamics of climate change beliefs and behaviors within romantic couples. We surveyed 758 romantic couples (N = 1,516 individuals) to investigate (a) correspondence between partners' climate change beliefs/behaviors, (b) accuracy and bias in people's perceptions of their partner's beliefs/behaviors, (c)

Recent studies have shown that the façade and light patterns in a space are an important factor in the occupants' experience, but little is known about the generalizability of these findings in different lighting conditions, uses of space, or latitudes. This study employed virtual reality to investigate the effects of façade geometry and daylight patterns on space impressions and physiological responses

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Private households play a relevant role in reducing CO2 emissions, but it remains unclear whether and which psychological factors are related to emissions. Given the relevance of income as a general driver of consumption and CO2 emissions, it seems particularly important to investigate how income and psychological variables interact. In two studies (a convenience sample from a city in Saxony Anhalt

Nature relatedness is an important construct in environmental psychology and has frequently been measured using the NR-6, a six-item unidimensional short form scale. The NR-6 was developed using exploratory factor analysis on a sample of undergraduates and community members, but subsequent validity evidence is limited. This is concerning because the NR-6 comprises items from two nature relatedness

The ability to mentally represent where things are around us is generally referred to as a cognitive map. Cognitive maps are critical for spatial orientation and navigation given that, when formed, they allow individuals to get anywhere from any place within the environment. However, recent speculations and research on cognitive maps suggest that this important cognitive process is not exclusive to

Previous research indicates that employees’ mental health might be influenced by their satisfaction with physical office characteristics, such as noise, daylight, and ventilation. However, similar research on mental health in relation to working from home (WFH) is limited. Therefore, this study aimed to identify the relationships between satisfaction with physical home workspace characteristics and

Plant-based foods offer great promise for ensuring environmental sustainability. However, encouraging people to replace meat-based meals with plant-based meals is a difficult feat, as people often perceive meat consumption as socially normal, evolutionarily natural, and satisfying in taste. In the current research, we tested a subtle strategy for changing eating behavior. Through a 10-week field experiment

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The current study investigates the efficiency of nudging people to purchase more eco-friendly electronic devices in an emulated online milieu. To this end, participants were presented with three different products (smart phones, monitors and portable speakers) with two different nudges (attraction and default) and a control condition. Results from two experiments show that, while there was already

There is a current need for understanding existing relationships between park use and perceived safety. Six public open spaces were systematically observed for three months and sorted into three groups attending to a perceived safety questionnaire scores. Objective park use and environmental data were analyzed using polar coordinate analysis considering the perceived safety level as the focal behavior

The construct of psychological distance has gained traction as an explanation of why climate change is difficult to act on; it often feels far removed, with impacts arising in remote locations to other people or in an uncertain future. However, recent studies and narrative reviews have pointed out inconsistencies in the conceptualisation, operationalisation and results regarding the psychological distance

Impulsive sound has been found to annoy people more than steady-state sound or many other types of sound presented at the same sound level. This study examined the physiological, performance, and subjective effects of impulsive sound on working humans. Exposure to impulsive sound (65 dB LAeq) was compared with quiet sound (35 dB LAeq) and steady-state sound (65 dB LAeq). This parallel-group study,

Spatial navigation skills used in daily life are liable to decline with aging. They rely on a knowledge of landmarks, their locations (from egocentric and allocentric perspectives) and paths (learned in route and survey modes). This study investigated this knowledge in young, middle-aged and older people, also considering the role of individual visuospatial factors. Eighty-seven people in three age

Previous research suggests that community-based participation, a process through which beneficiaries can actively influence and define the direction and execution of development programs, can promote long-term uptake, use, and management of shared resources, such as community-based safe water infrastructure. However, results are heterogeneous. Psychological ownership theory and initial evidence suggests

The correlation between poor quality housing and children's physical health has been well documented. Yet a limitation of the literature is the prevalence of selection bias and comparatively little evidence on children's mental health outcomes. This study explored the role of housing (and neighbourhood) quality in explaining differences in childhood mental and physical health between those living in

Single-use packaging items constitute a large proportion of the plastic litter found in the marine environment. Consumer decisions contribute to the accumulation of this pollution in the environment. Here we undertook two studies to assess consumer responses to different types of single-use packaging. Moreover, we introduce a new measure of ocean connectedness adapted from nature connectedness measures

Policies to reduce meat consumption are needed to help achieve climate change targets, and could also improve population health. Public acceptability can affect the likelihood of policy implementation. This study estimated the acceptability of policies to reduce red and processed meat consumption, and whether acceptability differed when policies were framed as benefitting health or the environment

Mindful engagement interventions have been shown to improve psychological benefits of nature experiences but to date there has been little evaluation of their efficacy compared with other forms of engagement. An online experimental study was conducted to compare different forms of engagement with nature. Before and after a 20-min outdoor experience, participants (n = 215) completed surveys on state-mindfulness

Building public will for climate action requires designing messages for different audiences. Previous studies that identified groups based on similar beliefs, behavior, and political preferences related to climate change were in single countries. The current pre-registered study ran latent class analysis on the European Social Survey (ESS 2016; N = 44,387) to identify groups of people according to

Emerging research has suggested the importance of neighbourhood identification for supporting community wellbeing, especially in disadvantaged areas. However, these relationships have not been tested across diverse neighbourhoods, nor in experimental studies that might establish causal links. To address this, we recruited a diverse community sample of over 3700 participants across two studies. Study

Route choice behaviour is a key factor in determining pedestrian movement flows throughout the urban space. Agent-based modelling, a simulation paradigm that allows modelling individual behaviour mechanisms to observe the emergence of macro-level patterns, has not employed empirical data regarding route choice behaviour in cities or accommodated heterogeneity. The aim of this paper is to present an

Motivations to engage in pro-environmental behaviours (PEBs) are often investigated using psychological theories such as the Theory of Reasoned Action. Though many psychological theories propose causal mechanisms operating at the level of the individual, studies often analyse cross-sectional data on psychological constructs with between-subject analyses. This approach is sensitive to confounding effects

Humans often fail to notice plants in the environment and our plant blindness leads to an inability to prioritise plants equally to other living categories such as animals. Evidence for plant blindnesss comes from memory tasks presenting pictures of single items where adults recall fewer plant than animal images. However, it remains unknown as to whether plant blindness affects recall of elements in