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Environmental Psychology: The Effect of a Scenery with Water on Psychological Restoration with a
Consideration of Weather Conditions Sólrún Ósk Unnsteinsdóttir
2016 BSc in Psychology
Author: Sólrún Ósk Unnsteinsdóttir
ID number: 130292-2679
Department of Psychology
School of Business
EFFECTS OF WATER AND WEATHER ON PSYCHOLOGICAL RESTORATION 2
Foreword
Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the BSc Psychology degree,
Reykjavik University, this thesis is presented in the style of an article for submission to a peer-
reviewed journal.
EFFECTS OF WATER AND WEATHER ON PSYCHOLOGICAL RESTORATION 3
Abstract - English Previous studies that have examined the effect of a body of water in sceneries on psychological restoration have found mixed results. The aim of the present study was to examine whether a body of water and weather conditions make a significant difference in ratings for psychological restoration. The research was conducted with an internet survey through Facebook using a convenience sample. The study included 106 Icelandic participants, ages 17 to 62 (82 women and 24 men). Participants rated four images on the following four variables; likelihood of restoration, being away, preference, and fascination. The results revealed that environments including a body of water showed significantly higher ratings than environments without water. This applied to all dependent variables, both in good and bad weather conditions. Furthermore, an environment with good weather conditions was rated higher than one with bad weather conditions. Results also revealed that weather condition was a stronger predictor for psychological restoration, than whether there was water in the scenery or not.
Keywords: psychological restoration, preference, fascination, being away, body of water, blue space, weather conditions.
Abstract – Icelandic
Niðurstöður fyrri rannsókna þar sem áhrif vatns á sálfræðilega endurheimt (e. psychological restoration) hafa verið skoðuð sýna breytilegar niðurstöður. Markmið þessarar rannsóknar var að kanna þetta samband enn frekar og skoða hvort vatn og veðurfar hefðu marktæk áhrif á mat þátttakenda á því að upplifa sálfræðilega endurheimt. Rannsóknin var framkvæmd með netrannsókn í gegnum Facebook og innihélt því hentugleikaúrtak. Í úrtaki voru 106 þátttakendur á aldrinum 17 til 62 ára (82 konur og 24 karlar). Allir þátttakendur lögðu mat á fjórar myndir og svöruðu fjórum spurningum fyrir hverja mynd um líkur á að upplifa sálfræðilega endurheimt, fjarveru (e. being away), hrifningu (e. fascination) og dálæti (e. preference). Niðurstöður leiddu í ljós að umhverfi sem innihélt vatn var metið marktækt hærra en umhverfi sem innihélt ekki vatn, og átti þetta við um allar fjórar fylgibreytur í bæði góðum og slæmum veðuraðstæðum. Einnig kom í ljós að umhverfi með góðu veðri var metið hærra en umhverfi með slæmu veðri. Jafnframt sýndu niðurstöður að veðuraðstæður höfðu meiri áhrif en það hvort vatn var í umhverfinu, þegar kom að því að upplifa sálfræðilega endurheimt.
Lykilhugtök: sálfræðileg endurheimt, fjarvera, hrifning, dálæti, útsýni með vatni, stöðuvatn, veðurfar.
EFFECTS OF WATER AND WEATHER ON PSYCHOLOGICAL RESTORATION 4
Environmental Psychology: The Effect of a Scenery with Water on Psychological Restoration
with Consideration of Weather Conditions
Nature affects humans in multiple ways that have been shown to be beneficial for health
and well-being (e.g., Hartig & Evans, 1993; Hartig & Staats, 2006). However, in environmental
psychology there is a tendency with the research paradigm, to neglect the psychological
importance of water (Lianyong & Eagles, 2009), and to this day a very limited number of studies
have focused on the effects of water on human well-being (see for example, Völker &
Kistemann, 2011). To explain the effects that nature can have on well-being, previous studies
have indicated that the concept of psychological restoration might be useful (Vries, 2010).
Psychological restoration is a term that has been broadly discussed within the field of
environmental psychology research. Restoration processes involve the renewal of psychological,
physiological and social resources that normally become depleted in meeting ordinary daily
demands (Hartig, 2004). The more depleted these resources become, the more difficult it
becomes for people to function effectively. Previous studies report that insufficient restoration in
everyday life, may possibly lead to negative consequences for a person’s well-being (Hartig,
2007). The aim of the current research is to examine how sceneries with a body of water and
different weather conditions can affect the likelihood of psychological restoration.
Attention Restoration Theory
How the environment and psychological restoration interact is originally described in the
attention restoration theory (ART) (R. Kaplan & Kaplan, 1989; S. Kaplan, 1995). Direct
attention in everyday life requires effort. When people are concentrated on a specific task over
time, without direct attention, they might eventually experience attentional fatigue, leading to
errors in performing tasks or action planning. This comes about because of intensive use of
EFFECTS OF WATER AND WEATHER ON PSYCHOLOGICAL RESTORATION 5
cognitive mechanisms. Mechanisms that we use to exclude stimuli around us that are irrelevant
for finishing our daily tasks, leading to a struggle to pay full attention. In the ART, the overall
restorative potential is determined by the four following interrelated restorative qualities of
person-environment exchanges: being away, fascination, coherence, and compatibility. The
theory explains that in everyday life direct attention is essential for effective functioning (R.
Kaplan & Kaplan, 1989). The four restorative qualities mentioned above are thought to be
beneficial to mitigating this attention fatigue (Hartig, Kaiser, & Bowler, 2001).
Psycho-Evolutionary Theory
A presumed link has been found between environmental preference and restoration
potentials (Van den Berg, Koole, & Van der Wulp, 2003). For people who are feeling down or
weak, environmental affordances for restoration can have great adaptive values (Ulrich, 1983).
Theories assume that environmental preference is reflective of perceptual mechanisms that allow
the individual to assess, typically in an automatic manner, whether a particular environment
should be approached or avoided (Ulrich, 1983).
The relationship between preference and restoration is further explained in the psycho-
evolutionary theory (Ulrich, 1983). Ulrich (1983) describes that restoration, or recovery from
stress, can have a positive impact on psychological states, for example with reducing fear or
anger. In other words, when people experience stress in unfavorable settings, reactions like fear
and dislike are likely to occur and people tend to show avoidance behavior. However, when
people are in places thought to be favorable for survival, that include vegetation and water,
reactions like interest or attraction will increase rapidly and approach behavior will take place.
Therefore environments that foster mental and physical health will be preferred over
environments that are detrimental for mental and physical health (Ulrich, 1983).
EFFECTS OF WATER AND WEATHER ON PSYCHOLOGICAL RESTORATION 6
The Restorative Potential of Sceneries with Water
Various previous studies have carried out observing the relationship between nature and
human well-being by adding sceneries of water into nature settings (Völker & Kistemann, 2011).
Studies by Ulrich (1981), and Ulrich et al. (1991) were amongst the first ones that took blue
space1 into consideration in environmental studies. Ulrich et al. (1991) indicated that natural
settings had more stress recovery restorative influences than urban settings, however, no
significant difference was found between nature and water settings. Similar results were found in
a study by Van den Berg et al. (2003) where scenes with water were not found to have a greater
positive influence on restoration and preference than scenes without water.
In more recent studies on this topic, results have shown that water has a significantly
greater effect on restoration than green and urban spaces (Korpela, Ylén, Tyrväinen, &
Silvennoinen, 2010; Völker & Kistemann, 2011; M. White et al., 2010; Wilkie & Stavridou,
2013). In a research by White et al.(2010) results showed a positive correlation between the
greater proportion of water in natural environments and perceived restorativeness. In the study,
the presence of objects and people was taken into consideration whereas previous research had
not. Interestingly, images of urban environments that also contained water were rated just as
positively as natural green spaces without water. In consensus with White et al., a study by
Wilkie & Stavridou's (2013) revealed that locations with pleasant waterscapes were considered
potentially more restorative than locations with negative imagery (unpleasant water) or those
without water. A Finnish study by Korpela et al. (2010) also supported these results, where a
higher restorative experience was found in waterside environments than in urban woodlands. A
review by Völker & Kistemann (2011) focused on 36 studies on water and health or well-being.
1 Refers to all aquatic features (rivers, lakes, coasts, etc.)
EFFECTS OF WATER AND WEATHER ON PSYCHOLOGICAL RESTORATION 7
They found that research results on the effect of blue spaces on psychological well-being were
quite inconsistent. They indicate a gap in the literature when it comes to the effects of blue
spaces on human well-being.
The restorative potential of blue space can also be studied by considering people’s
residential preferences or decisions on booking a hotel room. According to Luttik (2000) people
are generally willing to pay 8-12 % more for a house with an aquatic view. The same goes for
hotel rooms. White et al (2010) showed that people were willing to pay on average a 12£ higher
price per night for a hotel room with an aquatic-green than a green-only view. Furthermore,
coastal resorts are arguably the most popular holiday destinations in the European Union, serving
over 16 million tourist beds (White, Pahl, Wheeler, Fleming, & Depledge, 2016). Interestingly,
Wheeler, White, Stahl-Timmins, & Depledge (2012) found that good health was more prevalent
the closer one lived to the coast when analyzing a small-area census data for a population of
England. As Ulrich et al. (1981) stated, water has a more positive influence on emotional states
compared to other environments, and later studies have also found that water may be seen as a
fascinating element (R. Kaplan, Kaplan, & Ryan, 1998; Laumann, Gärling, & Stormark, 2003;
Nordh, Hartig, Hagerhall, & Fry, 2009; Purcell, Peron, & Berto, 2001), which might be
influential on people’s choice of housing and hotel rooms.
Evidence for Weather Preference in Environmental Sceneries
Consistently Beute & de Kort (2013) found explicit preferences for natural, bright, and
sunny scenes when looking at differences in natural and urban scenery. This might as well be the
case when looking at preference for water in environments. When looking at preference within
an evolutionary context we find that man learned to be active during the day but rest and seek
shelter from danger during the dark night (Beute & de Kort, 2013). Therefore, light may possibly
EFFECTS OF WATER AND WEATHER ON PSYCHOLOGICAL RESTORATION 8
have an evolutionary relevance whereas a sunny or well-lit environment signals less danger than
an overcast environment. Based on this Ulrich (2008) argued that under certain circumstances
positive reactions to nature may be enhanced by daylight.
A majority of the studies above only examine landscapes in clement conditions. Only one
study to date has taken weather conditions into consideration when studying the effects of water
in environmental sceneries. In a study by White, Cracknell, Corcoran, Jenkinson, & Depledge,
(2014) findings revealed a significantly higher preference for waterscapes in clement conditions
than in inclement conditions. Results also indicated that aquatic landscapes are still preferred in
rainy or stormy weather, even when black and white images are used. Apart from this study,
there seems to be a lack of research evidence on how weather conditions effect restoration.
Aims and Hypotheses of Current Research
Adding to previous work regarding research on psychological restoration, the current
study will examine the effects of water in sceneries and weather conditions on psychological
restoration. Furthermore, the study will look at the effects of these environments on being away,
preference and fascination. In the study preference will be included, as preference ratings have
previously been given much weight in theoretical and applied research on landscapes and natural
environments (Nordh et al., 2009). It is believed to reflect the restorative potential of
environments giving the research a higher internal validity (Van den Berg et al., 2003).
In relations to previous research and theories noted above, the following hypotheses will
be presented: For likelihood of restoration 1a) sceneries with water will be rated higher than
sceneries without water, 1b) good weather conditions will be rated higher than bad weather
conditions. Furthermore, feelings of being away will be rated higher in sceneries 2a) with water
and 2b) good weather conditions. Fascination will be rated higher in sceneries 3a) with water and
EFFECTS OF WATER AND WEATHER ON PSYCHOLOGICAL RESTORATION 9
3b) good weather conditions. Also, preference will be rated higher in sceneries 4a) with water
and 4b) good weather conditions.
Method
Participants
Participants were gathered with at convenience through Facebook. There were 106
Icelandic participants who completed the survey, 82 women and 24 men. The age range was
from 17 to 62 years old (M = 32, SD = 13.03). However, 15 participants did not disclose their
age. No compensation was provided for participation in the study.
Stimuli
Four photographs were used to represent the environments of interest (see appendix, p.
22). All images included sceneries of Icelandic nature and were processed in Adobe Photoshop
cc 2015. Two photographs were presented with bad weather conditions (grey sky), one that
included gloomy water and the other without water. The two remaining photographs were
presented with good weather conditions (blue sky), one with water and the other without water.
Research Design and Measurements
In the current study a within-subjects design was used. The study included two
independent variables: (1) water (present or not), and (2) weather conditions (good or bad).
The dependent variables of the study were four. Likelihood of restoration was rated by
the statement: “I would be able to rest and recover my ability to focus in this environment”, for
being away: “Spending time here gives me a break from my day to day routine”, for preference:
“I like this environment”, and for fascination: “There is much to explore and discover here”.
Statements were presented in Icelandic and were rated on an 11- point Likert scale (0 = not at
EFFECTS OF WATER AND WEATHER ON PSYCHOLOGICAL RESTORATION 10
all, 10 = completely). These statements are modeled after existing research (e.g., Lindal &
Hartig, 2013; Nordh et al., 2009).
Procedure
The research was conducted with an internet survey. A link to the survey was posted on
the researcher’s personal Facebook wall and to smaller Facebook groups. For people who clicked
the link, a website opened on the first page of the survey, where information about the study’s
intentions and instructions appeared. Two separate studies were used to create an opportunity for
a random order of the four images. The participants were informed that the study was
anonymous and that no information could be traced to any single individual. Firstly, participants
were asked to read the following text “You have been faced with a difficult and complex task at
work/school all morning. The task demanded high levels of concentration and was time-
consuming. But now it's time for a lunch break and you would really like to rest a little before
you have to deal with the task again“. The text was presented in Icelandic and participants were
asked to keep it in mind while rating sceneries. This was done to create the need for restoration
which is a prerequisite for the process of psychological restoration to take place (Hartig & Staats,
2006; Herzog, Colleen, Maguire, & Nebel, 2003). Secondly participants were asked to rate all
four images separately, on the four previously descripted statements regarding likelihood of
restoration, being away, preference and fascination. Lastly participants were asked to answer
demographic questions.
Statistical Analysis
Data was collected using Google Forms and the statistics program SPSS 23 was used for
analysis. One-way repeated measures ANOVA was conducted to determine if ratings on all
dependent variables (likelihood of restoration, fascination, preference and being away) were
EFFECTS OF WATER AND WEATHER ON PSYCHOLOGICAL RESTORATION 11
statistically different. A pairwise comparison was made with a Bonferroni correction post hoc
test to further clarify the differences in ratings. In all cases a criterion of 𝛼 = .05 was used in
significance tests.
Results
Table 1 below presents descriptive statistics and the correlation matrix for the four
dependent variables on the four images. Although the possible range in scores was from 0 to 10,
the minimum score obtained was 1 and the maximum score was 10, on all dependent variables.
Table 1.
Descriptive statics for all four dependent variables
M (SD) Min Max Being away Fascination Restoration likelihood
Preference
Being away 7.21 (1.892) 1 10 I
Fascination 6.99 (1.874) 1 10 0.926** I
Restoration likelihood 6.91 (1.890) 1 10 0.838** 0.841** I
Preference 6.35 (2.004) 1 10 0.725** 0.756** 0.893** I
**= p < 0.01
All of the variables were rated high or above average, which indicates that they are representing
environments considered to support restorative experience quite well. Correlation coefficients
between the four dependent variables are also presented in Table 1. Correlation between all
variables was high and positive. The highest correlation was found between the likelihood of
experiencing restoration and the sense of being away, and the lowest correlation was found
between fascination and being away. Figures 1 to 4 present all four images used in the study
which represent the two independent variables of the study, water (present or not), and weather
conditions (good or bad).
EFFECTS OF WATER AND WEATHER ON PSYCHOLOGICAL RESTORATION 12
Effects from Water and Weather Conditions on Likelihood of Psychological Restoration
The image showing natural environment with water under good weather conditions
(Figure 2) was rated highest on likelihood of psychological restoration (M = 8.71, SD = 1.58),
followed by no water and good weather conditions (Figure 4) (M = 7.6, SD = 1.99). The image
showing natural environment with water under bad weather conditions (Figure 1) was rated third
(M = 6.40, SD = 2.87) and the lowest rated image showed bad weather conditions and no water
(Figure 3) (M = 5.24, SD = 2.7).
Figure 2. Environment including water and good weather conditions
Figure 1. Environment including water and bad weather conditions
Figure 4. Environment with no water and good weather conditions
Figure 3. Environment with no water and bad weather conditions
EFFECTS OF WATER AND WEATHER ON PSYCHOLOGICAL RESTORATION 13
Mauchly’s test indicated that the assumption of sphericity had been violated 𝜒2(5) =
94.12, p = < 0.01. Due to that a Greenhouse-Geisser correction (𝜀 = .69) was used which showed
that the overall means between figures differed significantly on likelihood of restoration, F(2.08,
216.39) = 87.49, p < 0.01. According to a Bonferroni post hoc test mean ratings on all four
figures differed significantly. These results show that an environment that includes water was
rated higher on restorative qualities than an environment without water. Moreover, images
showing good weather conditions (Figure 2 and 4) were rated higher on likelihood of restoration
than environments with bad weather (Figure 1 and 3). Furthermore, when looking at the
difference between Figure 4 (M = 7.6, SD = 1.99) and Figure 1 (M = 6.40, SD = 2.87) we see that
Figure 4 (with no water but good weather) was rated significantly higher than figure 1(including
water but bad weather conditions). These results reveal that weather conditions are a stronger
predictor for psychological restoration, than whether there is water in the scenery or not.
Effects from Water and Weather Conditions on Feelings of Being Away
The same patterns were found in ratings for being away. The highest rating was found in
environment with water and good weather conditions (Figure 2) (M = 8,8, SD = 1.7), the next
highest rating was found on Figure 4 (M = 7.75, SD = 2.03), Figure 1 was rated third (M = 6.74,
SD = 2.8), and the lowest rating was found in environment with bad weather and no water
(Figure 3) (M = 5.53, SD = 2.76). Greenhouse-Geisser correction (𝜀 = .67) showed that the four
figures differed significantly in overall means, F (2.04, 209.9) = 73.19, p < 0.01. According to a
Bonferroni post hoc test there was a significant difference in mean ratings between all four
figures (p < 0.01). These results reveal that images with water are rated higher than images
without water, and that good weather conditions are rated higher than bad weather conditions on
feelings of being away.
EFFECTS OF WATER AND WEATHER ON PSYCHOLOGICAL RESTORATION 14
Effects from Water and Weather Conditions on Fascination
Likewise, for fascination environment with water and good weather conditions (Figure 2)
had the highest rating (M = 7.65, SD = 2.17) and the next highest rating was found on Figure 4
(M = 6.68, SD = 2.46). Figure 1 was rated third (M = 6.35, SD = 2.56), and the lowest rating was
found in an environment with bad weather and no water (Figure 3) (M = 4.74, SD = 2.66). A
significant overall difference, according to Greenhouse-Geisser correction (𝜀 = .78) was found
between figures for fascination, F (2.34, 243.95) = 57.15, p < 0.01. However, a Bonferroni post
hoc test revealed that all figures differed significantly (p < 0.01), except means between Figure 1
(M = 6.35, SD = 2.56) and Figure 4 (M = 6.68, SD = 2.46), p = 1.00. That is, environment with
no water and good weather conditions (Figure 4) and environment with water but bad weather
conditions (Figure 1) did not differ significantly in ratings of fascination. However, results still
reveal that images with water are rated higher than images without water, and that good weather
conditions is rated higher than bad weather conditions on fascination.
Effects from Water and Weather Conditions on Preference
Figure 2 had the highest rating for preference (M = 8.61, SD = 1.65) and Figure 4 had the
next highest rating (M = 7.44, SD = 2.23). Figure 1 was rated third (M = 6.45, SD = 2.81) and the
lowest rating was found in Figure 3 (M = 5.13, SD = 2.77). According to a Greenhouse-Geisser
correction (𝜀 = .72) an overall significant difference was found between means for preference, F
(2.17, 225.7) = 74.91, p < 0.01. According to a Bonferroni post hoc test there was a significant
difference in mean ratings between all four figures (p < 0.01). These results reveal that images
with water are rated higher than images with no water, and that good weather conditions are
rated higher than bad weather conditions on preference.
EFFECTS OF WATER AND WEATHER ON PSYCHOLOGICAL RESTORATION 15
Discussion
The aim of present study was to assess the effect of water and weather conditions in
sceneries on psychological restoration. The main findings reveal that environments including a
body of water show significantly higher ratings than environments without water. These results
apply to all dependent variables in both good and bad weather conditions. Furthermore,
environments with good weather conditions are rated higher than ones with bad weather
conditions. Results also reveal that weather condition is a stronger predictor for psychological
restoration, than whether there is water in the scenery or not.
The current study results revealed that sceneries including water were rated higher than
environments with no water on likelihood of psychological restoration. Therefore, hypothesis 1a
was supported. Likewise, a significant difference was found between images including a body of
water and sceneries with no water on variables of being away, preference, and fascination,
supporting hypothesis 2a, 3a, and 4a. These findings were true for images in both good and bad
weather conditions on all four variables. The current results are not in line with early research
findings (Ulrich et al., 1991; Van den Berg et al., 2003) on the effects of water on restoration,
where no difference was found between water- and nature settings. However results are
consistent with more recent research findings (Korpela et al., 2010; M. White et al., 2010; Wilkie
& Stavridou, 2013) where blue spaces were found to have more restorative qualities than both
green and urban spaces.
Furthermore, images with good weather conditions were rated higher than images with
bad weather conditions on psychological restoration, supporting hypothesis 1b. The same results
were found for variables of being away and preference, supporting hypotheses 2b and 4b. For
hypothesis 3b, which regarded fascination, results revealed that this was partly confirmed as no
EFFECTS OF WATER AND WEATHER ON PSYCHOLOGICAL RESTORATION 16
significant difference was found between environment in good weather with no water, and
environment with bad weather but including water. According to these results, it appears that on
the variable “fascination”, water in the scenery makes up for the bad weather conditions, making
the two types of environments almost equal in ratings. However, a significant difference was
found between good and bad weather conditions on other images used for fascination. These
results are consistent with Beute & de Kort's (2013) study were explicit preferences for natural,
bright, and sunny scenes was found when looking at differences in natural and urban sceneries.
The results are also in line with White, Cracknell, Corcoran, Jenkinson, & Depledge's (2014)
study where a significantly higher preference for waterscapes was found in clement conditions
over inclement conditions.
Additionally, the results also indicated that an image with no water but good weather was
rated significantly higher than an image including water and bad weather conditions (on three of
four dependent variables). This demonstrates that good weather conditions seem to have more
impact on restoration than a body of water in environmental sceneries. These effects were not
expected or taken into consideration at the start of this research.
This study had several strengths worth mentioning. The current study was the first one to
look at the effect of a scenery with water on restoration in an Icelandic sample. Additionally, the
study is one of few where weather conditions are taken into consideration when studying
nature’s effect on restoration. Furthermore, the sceneries used in the study all included the same
structure as they were edited in Photoshop. This has not been the usual way to present sceneries
in previous research on this topic. More often sceneries have included environments that are
from different locations with different structural environments. Also, the sample size was rather
EFFECTS OF WATER AND WEATHER ON PSYCHOLOGICAL RESTORATION 17
big and differences in ratings can not be attributed to the order of images, as this was tested for
by using two separate studies.
Several study limitations regarding measurements and sample should be addressed. The
external validity in the present study was not sufficient. Results cannot be generalized to other
cohorts as a convenience sample was used. A big proportion of the participants were female
(77.4%) and 45.1% of participants were between 25-27 years of age. In addition, results may
have shown increased internal validity if more than one set of photographs had been used for
each independent variable and if all participants had taken the survey in the same room at the
same time of day. The survey relied on self-report ordinal data which is not without limitations.
However, to date no research has been conducted where effects from water on restoration
is tested on more specific situations or more specific groups of individuals. This would be ideal
for future studies on this topic. Examples of this would be to examine effects of water on patients
in hospital environments, elderly in retirement homes, or office and school cafeteria
environments. Also regarding the less restorative potentials in bad weather conditions than in
good weather conditions, it would be ideal to study the potential restorative qualities that a
moving image on a digital screen could have for individuals that work in closed work
environments or where bad weather conditions are common.
Despite some limitations, the present study contributes to the growing body of literature
regarding potential benefits of water for individuals’ likelihood of gaining psychological
restoration in everyday life, and how weather conditions play a part. The current results give
further possible practical implications for environmental planning, management, and design.
Finally, these results give further evidence that taking water away from everyday environments
EFFECTS OF WATER AND WEATHER ON PSYCHOLOGICAL RESTORATION 18
might affect public health for the worse, and that inserting blue space into situations where
restorative qualities of the environment are limited, might improve public health.
EFFECTS OF WATER AND WEATHER ON PSYCHOLOGICAL RESTORATION 19
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EFFECTS OF WATER AND WEATHER ON PSYCHOLOGICAL RESTORATION 23
Appendix
Questionnaire
Leiðbeiningar
Í þessari könnun muntu sjá fjórar umhverfismyndir og undir hverri mynd eru fjórar spurningar
sem þú ert beðin(n) um að svara á skalanum 0 til 10.
Vinsamlegast athugið: Það er ekkert rétt eða rangt svar, hugleiddu aðeins hvað þér finnst.
Vinsamlegast lesið eftirfarandi texta vandlega:
Þú hefur verið að kljást við erfitt og flókið verkefni í vinnunni/skólanum í allan morgun.
Verkefnið krafðist mikillar einbeitingar og var tímafrekt. Nú er hinsvegar komið að hádegishléi
og þú myndir mjög gjarnan vilja hvíla þig ofurlítið áður en þú þarft að takast aftur á við
verkefnið. Hafðu þessar aðstæður í huga þegar þú metur eftirfarandi umhverfi.
Á skalanum 0-10 hversu sammála/ósammála ertu eftirfarandi staðhæfingum um myndina
hér að neðan?
1. Ef ég væri andlega þreytt(ur) og ætti erfitt með að einbeita mér vegna mikils álags til dæmis í
vinnu eða skóla þá myndi umhverfi eins og þetta hjálpa mér að slaka á og safna orku
EFFECTS OF WATER AND WEATHER ON PSYCHOLOGICAL RESTORATION 24
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Mjög ósammála O O O O O O O O O O Mjög sammála
2. Að dvelja í umhverfi sem þessu gefur mér hvíld frá hversdagslegri rútínu 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Mjög ósammála O O O O O O O O O O Mjög sammála
3. Mér finnst staðurinn vera hrífandi; Hér er margt sem fangar athygli mína 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Mjög ósammála O O O O O O O O O O Mjög sammála
4. Mér líkar þetta umhverfi 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Mjög ósammála O O O O O O O O O O Mjög sammála
Á skalanum 0-10 hversu sammála/ósammála ertu eftirfarandi staðhæfingum um myndina
hér að neðan?
1. Ef ég væri andlega þreytt(ur) og ætti erfitt með að einbeita mér vegna mikils álags til dæmis í
vinnu eða skóla þá myndi umhverfi eins og þetta hjálpa mér að slaka á og safna orku
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Mjög ósammála O O O O O O O O O O Mjög sammála
EFFECTS OF WATER AND WEATHER ON PSYCHOLOGICAL RESTORATION 25
2. Að dvelja í umhverfi sem þessu gefur mér hvíld frá hversdagslegri rútínu 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Mjög ósammála O O O O O O O O O O Mjög sammála
3. Mér finnst staðurinn vera hrífandi; Hér er margt sem fangar athygli mína 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Mjög ósammála O O O O O O O O O O Mjög sammála
4. Mér líkar þetta umhverfi 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Mjög ósammála O O O O O O O O O O Mjög sammála
Á skalanum 0-10 hversu sammála/ósammála ertu eftirfarandi staðhæfingum um myndina
hér að neðan?
1. Ef ég væri andlega þreytt(ur) og ætti erfitt með að einbeita mér vegna mikils álags til dæmis í
vinnu eða skóla þá myndi umhverfi eins og þetta hjálpa mér að slaka á og safna orku
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Mjög ósammála O O O O O O O O O O Mjög sammála
2. Að dvelja í umhverfi sem þessu gefur mér hvíld frá hversdagslegri rútínu
EFFECTS OF WATER AND WEATHER ON PSYCHOLOGICAL RESTORATION 26
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Mjög ósammála O O O O O O O O O O Mjög sammála
3. Mér finnst staðurinn vera hrífandi; Hér er margt sem fangar athygli mína 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Mjög ósammála O O O O O O O O O O Mjög sammála
4. Mér líkar þetta umhverfi 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Mjög ósammála O O O O O O O O O O Mjög sammála
1. Ef ég væri andlega þreytt(ur) og ætti erfitt með að einbeita mér vegna mikils álags til dæmis í
vinnu eða skóla þá myndi umhverfi eins og þetta hjálpa mér að slaka á og safna orku
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Mjög ósammála O O O O O O O O O O Mjög sammála
2. Að dvelja í umhverfi sem þessu gefur mér hvíld frá hversdagslegri rútínu 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Mjög ósammála O O O O O O O O O O Mjög sammála
3. Mér finnst staðurinn vera hrífandi; Hér er margt sem fangar athygli mína 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
EFFECTS OF WATER AND WEATHER ON PSYCHOLOGICAL RESTORATION 27
Mjög ósammála O O O O O O O O O O Mjög sammála
4. Mér líkar þetta umhverfi 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Mjög ósammála O O O O O O O O O O Mjög sammála
Annað
1.Hvaða ár ert þú fædd/ur?
__________
2. Hvert er kyn þitt?
Kona
Karl
3. Á skalanum 0- 10, hversu vel á eftirfarandi staðhæfing við um þig: ég nota náttúruna til þess
að hlaða batteríin
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Mjög ósammála O O O O O O O O O O Mjög sammála
4. Á skalanum 0-10, hversu kunnug(ur) ertu umhverfi eins og því sem sást á myndunum?
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Mjög ókunnug(ur) O O O O O O O O O O Mjög kunnug(ur)