Which qualities of the natural environment promote mental health?

By Sus Sola Corazon, Assistant Professor at the University of Copenhagen, Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management.

At present, studies on health-promoting environments are dominated by research focusing on the difference between the urban and the natural environment and less is known about which qualities of the natural environment promote mental health.

Aim of the research
Therefore the research group Nature, Health & Design at the University of Copenhagen, initiated a qualitative research project in the Danish Health Forest Garden Octovia. The aim of the project was to gain knowledge of which qualities and features of the environment were perceived as restorative.

Methods
The design of the Health Forest Octovia, where the research took place, is based on Grahn & Stigsdotter's research on perceived sensory dimensions (PSD). The Health Forest is located within an existing Arboretum and consists of eight different spatial settings.  26 female students participated in the study. They were individually interviewed about their restorative experience while participating in a guided walk through the health forest. 

Key findings that are relevant for planners and designers

•  The experience of both openness and enclosure in a natural environment are important for psychological restoration: openness to provide an overview, and enclosure to provide a feeling of safety.
• A diverse range of sensory stimulation enhances the feeling of restoration in a natural environment.
• An optimal natural environment for psychological restoration should include the perceived sensory dimensions of serenity, richness in species, nature and refuge.
• The specific environment where users grew up should be taken into account when designing restorative natural environments for different user groups.
• One should pay attention to any possible unwanted associations when choosing design features since they may have negative connotations.  

Read the full research paper for free for further details

Citation: Ulrika Karlsson Stigsdotter, Sus Sola Corazon, Ulrik Sidenius, Anne Dahl Refshauge, Patrik Grahn. Forest design for mental health promotion—Using perceived sensory dimensions to elicit restorative responses, Landscape and Urban Planning, Volume 160, April 2017, Pages 1-15

About the author of this blog

Sus Sola Corazon is an Assistant Professor at the University of Copenhagen, Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management. She is part of a multidisciplinary and international research group called “Nature, Health & Design” led by Professor Ulrika K. Stigsdotter where she conducts research within a wide range of current research trends on interactions between man, human health and the natural environment. The research takes place in the Nature, Health & Design Laboratory, which is a collective name for two research, development, and demonstration projects located in the Hørsholm arboretum: The Health Forest and The Healing Forest Garden Nacadia.