Autonomic Nervous System Responses to Viewing Green and Built Settings: Differentiating Between Sympathetic and Parasympathetic Activity

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health

Magdalena M.H.E. van den Berg²  Jolanda Maas³  Rianne Muller²  Anoek Braun²  Wendy Kaandorp²  René van Lien¹  Mireille N.M. van Poppel²  Willem van Mechelen²  Agnes E. van den Berg⁴ 

[1] Department of Biological Psychology, Vrije Universiteit (VU), Transitorium Van der Boechorststraat 1, NL 1081 BT Amsterdam, The Netherlands;Department of Public and Occupational Health, EMGO Institute for Health and Care Research, Vrije Universiteit (VU) University Medical Center, van der Boechorststraat 7, NL 1081 BT Amsterdam, The Netherlands;Department of Psychology and Pedagogy, Vrije Universiteit (VU), Transitorium Van der Boechorststraat 1, NL 1081 BT Amsterdam, The Netherlands;Department of Cultural Geography, Faculty of Spatial Sciences, University of Groningen, Landleven 1, 9747 AD Groningen, The Netherlands;

关键词: stress buffering;    stress recovery;    natural environment;    autonomic nervous system;    respiratory sinus arrhythmia;    pre-ejection period;   

DOI  :  10.3390/ijerph121215026

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

This laboratory study explored buffering and recovery effects of viewing urban green and built spaces on autonomic nervous system activity. Forty-six students viewed photos of green and built spaces immediately following, and preceding acute stress induction. Simultaneously recorded electrocardiogram and impedance cardiogram signal was used to derive respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) and pre-ejection period (PEP), indicators of respectively parasympathetic and sympathetic activity. The findings provide support for greater recovery after viewing green scenes, as marked by a stronger increase in RSA as a marker of parasympathetic activity. There were no indications for greater recovery after viewing green scenes in PEP as a marker of sympathetic activity, and there were also no indications of greater buffering effects of green space in neither RSA nor PEP. Overall, our findings are consistent with a predominant role of the parasympathetic nervous system in restorative effects of viewing green space.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© 2015 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.