Effects of Visual Environment on Students’ Adjustment to Stress
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15320/ICONARP.2022.193Keywords:
Stress, visual quality, environmental psychology, psychological restorationAbstract
The impact of stress on visual landscape perception was assessed in a photo-based survey. The survey was first performed when the student participants were expected to be stressed just prior to an important examination. The same students were asked to respond to the same questionnaire a month after the examination when they were expected to have a lower level of stress. Then respondents answered some daily activities, personal study habits, and feelings before an exam. They also provided ratings of how much a selection of environmental factors generally influence their ability to study and their academic success. In the main perceptual survey reactions to a selection of 22 landscape scenes photos were reported by ratings (1–5) of the extent to which each of six emotions was associated with each scene. Differences in emotions ratings for the represented landscapes during high-stress and low-stress periods were analyzed by multiple comparison and Pearson correlational methods using the SPSS 17.00 package. Stress tests confirmed higher stress in the first versus second survey and perceptual ratings showed significant statistical differences in emotion ratings between landscape scenes, as well as both main effects and interactions between high stress and low stress conditions. Scene ratings for each emotion were strongly positively correlated between high stress and lower stress conditions. At the same time, respondents generally gave slightly higher ratings for positive emotions -excited, relaxing, happiness-when in the high stress condition and moderately higher ratings for negative emotions -stressed, irritating, scary-, compared to their ratings when tested later under lower stress conditions. This study indicated that stress conditions affect perception, and stressed conditions gave higher emotionality overall than the unstressed condition. In general, in both stressed and unstressed conditions, the students gave the highest scores (>3.4) to convenience and the lowest score (<2) to scary. The main limitations of this study are the large number of environmental factors that influence people's perception. The strongest determiner of emotion ratings was the landscape scenes themselves. Inspection of outliers in the scatter plots and multiple comparisons articulating higher order interactions with stress conditions revealed clear differences in the patterns of emotions ratings, especially for scenes representing water surfaces, open green spaces, and seasonal plant scenes.
Metrics
References
Adevi, A. A., & Lieberg, M. (2012). Stress rehabilitation through garden therapy: A caregiver perspective on factors considered most essential to the recovery process. Urban forestry & urban greening, 11(1), 51-58.
Baltas-Baltas, Education. (1997). Counseling Center. Team Building and Development Seminar Manual Book. Character Color: İstanbul.
Barton, J., & Pretty, J. (2010). What is the best dose of nature and green exercise for improving mental health? A multi-study analysis. Environmental science & technology, 44(10), 3947-3955.
Babakhani, R. (2017). Color and light in architecture and its effects on spirits of space users in a psychological view. Journal of Architectural Engineering Technology, 6(1).
Beil, K., & Hanes, D. (2013). The influence of urban natural and built environments on physiological and psychological measures of stress—A pilot study. International journal of environmental research and public health, 10(4), 1250-1267.
Bergen, S. D., Ulbricht, C. A., Fridley, J. L., & Ganter, M. A. (1995). The validity of computer-generated graphic images of forest landscape. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 15(2), 135-146.
Billings, A. G., & Moos, R. H. (1981). The role of coping responses and social resources in attenuating the stress of life events. Journal of behavioral medicine, 4(2), 139-157.
Bringslimark, T., Hartig, T., & Patil, G. G. (2009). The psychological benefits of indoor plants: A critical review of the experimental literature. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 29(4), 422-433.
Bostancı, S. H., & Oral, M. (2017). Experimental approach on the cognitive perception of historical urban skyline. ICONARP International Journal of Architecture and Planning, 5, 45-59.
Byrne, J., Sipe, N., & Searle, G. (2010). Green around the gills? The challenge of density for urban greenspace planning in SEQ. Australian Planner, 47(3), 162-177.
Carlson, A. (2010). Contemporary environmental aesthetics and the requirements of environmentalism. Environmental Values, 19(3), 289-314.
Cao, J., Wang, J., Wu, X., Ding, C., Wang, W., & Wang, H. (2020). Post⁃ evaluation of urban river open space landscape restoration: a case study of the eastern part of the Inner Qinhuai River in Nanjing. Journal Of Nanjıng Forestry Unıversıty, 44(3), 195.
Cerwén, G., Pedersen, E., & Pálsdóttir, A. M. (2016). The role of soundscape in nature-based rehabilitation: A patient perspective. International journal of environmental research and public health, 13(12), 1229.
Cohen, S., Kamarck, T., & Mermelstein, R. (1983). A global measure of perceived stress. Journal of health and social behavior, 385-396.
Cohen, S. (1988). Perceived stress in a probability sample of the United States.
Clay, G. R., & Daniel, T. C. (2000). Scenic landscape assessment: the effects of land management jurisdiction on public perception of scenic beauty. Landscape and urban planning, 49(1-2), 1-13.
Daniel, T. C., & Meitner, M. M. (2001). Representational validity of landscape visualizations: the effects of graphical realism on perceived scenic beauty of forest vistas. Journal of environmental psychology, 21(1), 61-72.
Dearden, P. (1984). Factors influencing landscape preferences: an empirical investigation. Landscape planning, 11(4), 293-306.
Devlin, A. S., Nasar, J. L., & Cubukcu, E. (2014). Students’ impressions of psychotherapists’ offices: cross-cultural comparisons. Environment and Behavior, 46(8), 946-971.
Folkman, S., & Tedlie, J. (2004). Coping: Pitfalls and promise. Annual review of psychology, 55, 745.
Folkman, S., & Lazarus, R. S. (1980). An analysis of coping in a middle-aged community sample. Journal of health and social behavior, 219-239.
de Val, G. D. L. F., Atauri, J. A., & de Lucio, J. V. (2006). Relationship between landscape visual attributes and spatial pattern indices: A test study in Mediterranean-climate landscapes. Landscape and urban planning, 77(4), 393-407.
Gadzella, BM., (1991). Student-life Stress Inventory. Commerce. TX: Copyright.
Grahn, P., & Stigsdotter, U. A. (2003). Landscape planning and stress. Urban forestry & urban greening, 2(1), 1-18.
Gentry, L. A., Chung, J. J., Aung, N., Keller, S., Heinrich, K. M., & Maddock, J. E. (2007). Gender differences in stress and coping among adults living in Hawaii. Californian journal of health promotion, 5(2), 89-102.
Gidlow, C. J., Jones, M. V., Hurst, G., Masterson, D., Clark-Carter, D., Tarvainen, M. P., ... & Nieuwenhuijsen, M. (2016). Where to put your best foot forward: Psycho-physiological responses to walking in natural and urban environments. Journal of environmental psychology, 45, 22-29.
Ha, J., Kim, H. J., & With, K. A. (2022). Urban green space alone is not enough: A landscape analysis linking the spatial distribution of urban green space to mental health in the city of Chicago. Landscape and Urban Planning, 218, 104309.
Habron, D. (1998). Visual perception of wild land in Scotland. Landscape and urban planning, 42(1), 45-56.
Hartig, T., & Staats, H. (2006). The need for psychological restoration as a determinant of environmental preferences. Journal of environmental psychology, 26(3), 215-226.
Hartig, T., Evans, G. W., Jamner, L. D., Davis, D. S., & Gärling, T. (2003). Tracking restoration in natural and urban field settings. Journal of environmental psychology, 23(2), 109-123.
Hartig, T., Mitchell, R., De Vries, S., & Frumkin, H. (2014). Nature and health. Annual review of public health, 35, 207-228.
Hawkins, J. L., Mercer, J., Thirlaway, K. J., & Clayton, D. A. (2013). “Doing” gardening and “being” at the allotment site: Exploring the benefits of allotment gardening for stress reduction and healthy aging. Ecopsychology, 5(2), 110-125.
Hawkins, J. L., Thirlaway, K. J., Backx, K., & Clayton, D. A. (2011). Allotment gardening and other leisure activities for stress reduction and healthy aging. HortTechnology, 21(5), 577-585.
Hoyle, H., Hitchmough, J., & Jorgensen, A. (2017). All about the ‘wow factor’? The relationships between aesthetics, restorative effect and perceived biodiversity in designed urban planting. Landscape and urban planning, 164, 109-123.
Hogan, J. M., Carlson, J. G., & Dua, J. (2002). Stressors and stress reactions among university personnel. International Journal of stress management, 9(4), 289-310.
Howley, P. (2011). Landscape aesthetics: Assessing the general publics' preferences towards rural landscapes. Ecological Economics, 72, 161-169.
Jahani, A., Allahverdi, S., Saffariha, M., Alitavoli, A., & Ghiyasi, S. (2022). Environmental modeling of landscape aesthetic value in natural urban parks using artificial neural network technique. Modeling Earth Systems and Environment, 8(1), 163-172.
Jiang, B., Chang, C. Y., & Sullivan, W. C. (2014). A dose of nature: Tree cover, stress reduction, and gender differences. Landscape and Urban Planning, 132, 26-36.
Kaplan, R., & Kaplan, S. (1989). The experience of nature: A psychological perspective. Cambridge university press.
Khalili, R. (2019). The role of color in sense of place. Tajrish and Hassan Abad Squares, Tehran.
Korpela, K., Savonen, E. M., Anttila, S., Pasanen, T., & Ratcliffe, E. (2017). Enhancing wellbeing with psychological tasks along forest trails. Urban Forestry & Urban Greening, 26, 25-30.
Lazarus, R. S., & Folkman, S. (1984). Stress, appraisal, and coping. Springer publishing company.
Li, X., Zhang, Y., Li, D., Xu, Y., & Brown, R. D. (2022). Ameliorating cold stress in a hot climate: Effect of Winter Storm Uri on residents of subsidized housing neighborhoods. Building and Environment, 209, 108646.
Li, X., Li, L., Wang, X., Lin, Q., Wu, D., Dong, Y., & Han, S. (2021). Visual quality evaluation model of an urban river landscape based on random forest. Ecological Indicators, 133, 108381.
Maas, J., Verheij, R. A., Groenewegen, P. P., De Vries, S., & Spreeuwenberg, P. (2006). Green space, urbanity, and health: how strong is the relation?. Journal of epidemiology & community health, 60(7), 587-592.
Mitchell, R., & Popham, F. (2007). Greenspace, urbanity and health: relationships in England. Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health, 61(8), 681-683.
Mikolajczyk, R. T., Maxwell, A. E., Naydenova, V., Meier, S., & El Ansari, W. (2008). Depressive symptoms and perceived burdens related to being a student: Survey in three European countries. Clinical Practice and Epidemiology in Mental Health, 4(1), 1-9.
Nasar, J.L.,&Bokharaei,S. (2017). Lighting modes and their effects on impressions of public squares. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 49, 96-105.
Nordh, H., & Østby, K. (2013). Pocket parks for people–A study of park design and use. Urban forestry & urban greening, 12(1), 12-17.
Nordh, H., Alalouch, C., & Hartig, T. (2011). Assessing restorative components of small urban parks using conjoint methodology. Urban forestry & urban greening, 10(2), 95-103.
Özhanci, E., Yilmaz, H., & Yilmaz, S. (2014). Safety perceptions of different plant designs in pedestrian and car streets. Urban design international, 19(4), 303-310.
Palmer, J. F., & Hoffman, R. E. (2001). Rating reliability and representation validity in scenic landscape assessments. Landscape and urban planning, 54(1-4), 149-161.
Parsons, R., Tassinary, L. G., Ulrich, R. S., Hebl, M. R., & Grossman-Alexander, M. (1998). The view from the road: Implications for stress recovery and immunization. Journal of environmental psychology, 18(2), 113-140.
Parsons, R., & Daniel, T. C. (2002). Good looking: in defense of scenic landscape aesthetics. Landscape and Urban Planning, 60(1), 43-56.
Pedrelli, P., Feldman, G. C., Vorono, S., Fava, M., & Petersen, T. (2008). Dysfunctional attitudes and perceived stress predict depressive symptoms severity following antidepressant treatment in patients with chronic depression. Psychiatry Research, 161(3), 302-308.
Perrine, R. M., Lisle, J., & Tucker, D. L. (1995). Effects of a syllabus offer of help, student age, and class size on college students' willingness to seek support from faculty. The Journal of Experimental Education, 64(1), 41-52.
Polat, A. T., & Akay, A. (2015). Relationships between the visual preferences of urban recreation area users and various landscape design elements. Urban Forestry & Urban Greening, 14(3), 573-582.
Roe, J. J., Thompson, C. W., Aspinall, P. A., Brewer, M. J., Duff, E. I., Miller, D., ... & Clow, A. (2013). Green space and stress: evidence from cortisol measures in deprived urban communities. International journal of environmental research and public health, 10(9), 4086-4103.
Real, E., Arce, C., & Sabucedo, J. M. (2000). Classification of landscapes using quantitative and categorical data, and prediction of their scenic beauty in north-western Spain. Journal of environmental psychology, 20(4), 355-373.
Pringle, S., & Guaralda, M. (2018). Images of urban happiness: A pilot study in the self-representation of happiness in urban spaces. The International Journal of the Image, 8(4), 97-122.
Saeedi, I., & Dabbagh, E. (2021). Modeling the relationships between hardscape color and user satisfaction in urban parks. Environment, Development and Sustainability, 23(4), 6535-6552.
Şahin, N.H., (1998). A positive approach to coping with stress. Turkish Psychological Association publications. Ankara.
Thompson, C. W. (2011). Linking landscape and health: The recurring theme. Landscape and urban planning, 99(3-4), 187-195.
Tyrväinen, L., Ojala, A., Korpela, K., Lanki, T., Tsunetsugu, Y., & Kagawa, T. (2014).Theinfluenceofurbangreen environments on stress relief measures: A field experiment. Journal of environmental psychology, 38, 1-9.
Ulrich, R. S., Simons, R. F., Losito, B. D., Fiorito, E., Miles, M. A., & Zelson, M. (1991). Stress recovery during exposure to natural and urban environments. Journal of environmental psychology, 11(3), 201-230.
Ulrich, R.S. (1999). Effects of gardens on health outcomes: Theory and research. In: Healing gardens: Therapeutic benefits and design recommendations (Eds. Cooper Marcus C &Barnes M): 27–86. John Wiley & Sons, New York
Ulrich, R. S. (2001). Effects of healthcare environmental design on medical outcomes. In Design and Health: Proceedings of the Second International Conference on Health and Design. Stockholm, Sweden: Svensk Byggtjanst (Vol. 49, p. 59).
WHO,(2016). World Health Organization | Urban Population Growth. http://www.who.int/gho/urban_health/situation_trends/urban_population_growth_text/en/.
Xue, F., Gou, Z., & Lau, S. (2017). The green open space development model and associated use behaviors in dense urban settings: Lessons from Hong Kong and Singapore. Urban Design International, 22(4), 287-302.
Van den Berg, A. E., Hartig, T., & Staats, H. (2007). Preference for nature in urbanized societies: Stress, restoration, and the pursuit of sustainability. Journal of social issues, 63(1), 79-96.
Velarde, M. D., Fry, G., & Tveit, M. (2007). Health effects of viewing landscapes–Landscape types in environmental psychology. Urban forestry & urban greening, 6(4), 199-212.
Vert, C., Gascon, M., Ranzani, O., Márquez, S., Triguero-Mas, M., Carrasco-Turigas, G., ... & Nieuwenhuijsen, M. (2020). Physical and mental health effects of repeated short walks in a blue space environment: A randomised crossover study. Environmental Research, 188, 109812.
Wang, R., Zhao, J., Meitner, M. J., Hu, Y., & Xu, X. (2019). Characteristics of urban green spaces in relation to aesthetic preference and stress recovery. Urban Forestry & Urban Greening, 41, 6-13.
Wang, R., Jiang, W., & Lu, T. (2021). Landscape characteristics of university campus in relation to aesthetic quality and recreational preference. Urban Forestry & Urban Greening, 66, 127389.
Yamashita, S. (2002). Perception and evaluation of water in landscape: use of Photo-Projective Method to compare child and adult residents’ perceptions of a Japanese river environment. Landscape and Urban Planning, 62(1), 3-17.
Yang, Q., Kang, Q., Huang, Q., Cui, Z., Bai, Y., & Wei, H. (2021, June). Linear correlation analysis of ammunition storage environment based on Pearson correlation analysis. In Journal of Physics: Conference Series (Vol. 1948, No. 1, p. 012064). IOP Publishing.
Zube, E. H., Pitt, D. G., & Anderson, T. W. (1975). Perception and prediction of scenic resource values of the Northeast: Values, perceptions and resources. In Landscape assessment: Values, perceptions and resources (pp. 151-167). Dowden, Hutchinson and Ross
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2022 ICONARP International Journal of Architecture and Planning
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
COPYRIGHT POLICY
1. The International Journal of Architecture and Planning (ICONARP) open access articles are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDeriatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0). This license lets the author to share (copy and redistribute) his/her article in any medium or format.
2. ICONARP cannot revoke these freedoms as long as you follow the license terms. Under the following terms:
The author must give appropriate credit, provide a link to ICONARP, and indicate if changes were made on the article. The author may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the ICONARP endorses the author or his/her use.
The author may not use the article for commercial purposes.
If the author remix, transform, or build upon the article, s/he may not distribute the modified material.
The author may share print or electronic copies of the Article with colleagues.
The author may use the Article within his/her employer’s institution or company for educational or research purposes, including use in course packs.
3. The author authorizes the International Journal of Architecture and Planning (ICONARP) to exclusively publish online his/her Article, and to post his/her biography at the end of the article, and to use the articles.
4. The author agrees to the International Journal of Architecture and Planning (ICONARP) using any images from the Article on the cover of the Journal, and in any marketing material.
5. As the author, copyright in the Article remains in his/her name.
6. All papers should be submitted electronically. All submitted manuscripts must be original work that is not under submission at another journal or under consideration for publication in another form, such as a monograph or chapter of a book. Authors of submitted papers are obligated not to submit their paper for publication elsewhere until an editorial decision is rendered on their submission. Further, authors of accepted papers are prohibited from publishing the results in other publications that appear before the paper is published in the Journal.