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Perceived Sensory Dimensions of Green Areas: An Experimental Study on Stress Recovery

Author

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  • Sanaz Memari

    (Department of Architecture, Faculty of Engineering, Golestan University, Gorgan 4918888369, Iran
    School of Architecture and Built Environment, Faculty of Science Engineering & Built Environment, Deakin University, Geelong 3220, Australia)

  • Mahdieh Pazhouhanfar

    (Department of Architecture, Faculty of Engineering, Golestan University, Gorgan 4918888369, Iran)

  • Patrik Grahn

    (Department of People and Society, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, 230 53 Alnarp, Sweden)

Abstract

Natural environments have been shown to promote health, and are, therefore, important for achieving social sustainability in cities. As cities grow and become denser, it is important to develop knowledge about the characteristics of natural environments that work to promote health. Perceived Sensory Dimensions (PSDs) is a tool that defines eight different cultural ecosystem services. They correspond to different human needs (rest, exercise, socialising, pleasure, or security) resulting in rehabilitation and health and well-being promotion. An experiment was conducted to study the potential of PSDs to restore people who experienced stressful accidents. One hundred and fifty-seven participants were recruited and asked first to watch a film clip of serious accidents, then to look at the pictures, depicting one particular type of PSDs, while listening to its respective audio recording. Their stress levels were measured before exposure to the stressor (baseline), after exposure to the stressor (pre-test), and after exposure to a particular type of PSDs (post-test). The results show that all eight PSDs effectively provide mental recovery, but there are statistical differences in their potentials. As such, it is proposed that the combined potential of the PSDs is needed, and should be used to increase the capacity and supply of health-promoting urban green areas.

Suggested Citation

  • Sanaz Memari & Mahdieh Pazhouhanfar & Patrik Grahn, 2021. "Perceived Sensory Dimensions of Green Areas: An Experimental Study on Stress Recovery," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(10), pages 1-19, May.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:13:y:2021:i:10:p:5419-:d:553409
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Jing Xie & Shixian Luo & Katsunori Furuya & Takahide Kagawa & Mian Yang, 2022. "A Preferred Road to Mental Restoration in the Chinese Classical Garden," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(8), pages 1-16, April.
    2. Congying An & Jinglan Liu & Qiaohui Liu & Yuqi Liu & Xiaoli Fan & Yishen Hu, 2022. "How Perceived Sensory Dimensions of Forest Park Are Associated with Stress Restoration in Beijing?," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(2), pages 1-17, January.
    3. Liwen Li & Klaus W. Lange, 2023. "Assessing the Relationship between Urban Blue-Green Infrastructure and Stress Resilience in Real Settings: A Systematic Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(12), pages 1-28, June.
    4. Marjan Shayestefar & Mahdieh Pazhouhanfar & Clarine van Oel & Patrik Grahn, 2022. "Exploring the Influence of the Visual Attributes of Kaplan’s Preference Matrix in the Assessment of Urban Parks: A Discrete Choice Analysis," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(12), pages 1-19, June.

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