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The Nature of Impulsivity: Visual Exposure to Natural Environments Decreases Impulsive Decision-Making in a Delay Discounting Task

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  • Meredith S Berry
  • Mary M Sweeney
  • Justice Morath
  • Amy L Odum
  • Kerry E Jordan

Abstract

The benefits of visual exposure to natural environments for human well-being in areas of stress reduction, mood improvement, and attention restoration are well documented, but the effects of natural environments on impulsive decision-making remain unknown. Impulsive decision-making in delay discounting offers generality, predictive validity, and insight into decision-making related to unhealthy behaviors. The present experiment evaluated differences in such decision-making in humans experiencing visual exposure to one of the following conditions: natural (e.g., mountains), built (e.g., buildings), or control (e.g., triangles) using a delay discounting task that required participants to choose between immediate and delayed hypothetical monetary outcomes. Participants viewed the images before and during the delay discounting task. Participants were less impulsive in the condition providing visual exposure to natural scenes compared to built and geometric scenes. Results suggest that exposure to natural environments results in decreased impulsive decision-making relative to built environments.

Suggested Citation

  • Meredith S Berry & Mary M Sweeney & Justice Morath & Amy L Odum & Kerry E Jordan, 2014. "The Nature of Impulsivity: Visual Exposure to Natural Environments Decreases Impulsive Decision-Making in a Delay Discounting Task," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 9(5), pages 1-7, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:plo:pone00:0097915
    DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0097915
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Rudd, Melanie & Vohs, Kathleen D. & Aaker, Jennifer, 2012. "Awe Expands People's Perception of Time, Alters Decision Making, and Enhances Well-Being," Research Papers 2095, Stanford University, Graduate School of Business.
    2. Takahashi, Taiki, 2007. "A comparison of intertemporal choices for oneself versus someone else based on Tsallis’ statistics," Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, Elsevier, vol. 385(2), pages 637-644.
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    Cited by:

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    2. Susan L. Prescott & Alan C. Logan, 2016. "Transforming Life: A Broad View of the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease Concept from an Ecological Justice Perspective," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 13(11), pages 1-44, November.
    3. Mathias Hofmann & Christopher Young & Tina M. Binz & Markus R. Baumgartner & Nicole Bauer, 2017. "Contact to Nature Benefits Health: Mixed Effectiveness of Different Mechanisms," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 15(1), pages 1-16, December.
    4. Jie Wu & Zhenliang Yang & Mengxuan Wu & Hui Huang, 2023. "The Relationship Between College Students' Mobile Phone Addiction and Aggression: A Moderated Mediation Model," Applied Research in Quality of Life, Springer;International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies, vol. 18(2), pages 1037-1055, April.
    5. Angelo Panno & Annalisa Theodorou & Giuseppe Alessio Carbone & Evelina De Longis & Chiara Massullo & Gianluca Cepale & Giuseppe Carrus & Claudio Imperatori & Giovanni Sanesi, 2021. "Go Greener, Less Risk: Access to Nature Is Associated with Lower Risk Taking in Different Domains during the COVID-19 Lockdown," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(19), pages 1-17, September.
    6. Meredith A Repke & Meredith S Berry & Lucian G Conway III & Alexander Metcalf & Reid M Hensen & Conor Phelan, 2018. "How does nature exposure make people healthier?: Evidence for the role of impulsivity and expanded space perception," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 13(8), pages 1-20, August.
    7. Meredith S. Berry & Norma P. Nickerson & Amy L. Odum, 2017. "Delay Discounting as an Index of Sustainable Behavior: Devaluation of Future Air Quality and Implications for Public Health," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 14(9), pages 1-14, September.
    8. Martin, Leanne & White, Mathew P. & Pahl, Sabine & May, Jon & Wheeler, Benedict W., 2020. "Neighbourhood greenspace and smoking prevalence: Results from a nationally representative survey in England," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 265(C).
    9. Femke Beute & Yvonne De Kort & Wijnand IJsselsteijn, 2016. "Restoration in Its Natural Context: How Ecological Momentary Assessment Can Advance Restoration Research," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 13(4), pages 1-19, April.
    10. Susan L. Prescott & Alan C. Logan, 2018. "Larger Than Life: Injecting Hope into the Planetary Health Paradigm," Challenges, MDPI, vol. 9(1), pages 1-27, March.

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