| Ulrich, R.S. and R.F. Simons. 1986. Recovery from stress
during exposure to everyday outdoor environments. In: J. Wineman, R.
Barnes, and C. Zimring (eds.). The costs of not knowing: Proceedings of
the Seventeenth Annual Conference of the Environmental Design Research
Association. Environmental Design Research Association, Washington, DC. |
| The lack of research concerning physiological influences of
everyday settings has prevented full evaluation of the human costs and
benefits of contracts with environments. The emphasis of this study was to
investigate, using selected physiological measures, the extent to which
exposure to everyday settings may facilitate or hamper recovery from
stress. After viewing a stressful movie, 120 subjects were exposed to
color/sound videotapes of different outdoor environments. Recovery during
the environmental presentations was assessed by recording muscle tension,
skin conductance, and pulse transit time, a non-invasive measure that
correlates with blood pressure. Findings indicated that individuals
recovered significantly faster and more completely from stress when they
were exposed to natural settings as opposed to urban environments with
either pedestrians or traffic. Different everyday environments can have
quite different effects on physiological systems, including the autonomic
and skeleto-muscular. Implications of the findings for design and planning
are discussed. |