title: Autonomic Nervous System Responses to Viewing Green and Built Settings: Differentiating Between Sympathetic and Parasympathetic Activity.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: 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. mm.vandenberg@vumc.nl.
authors.forename: Magdalena M H E
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: van den Berg
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology and Pedagogy, Vrije Universiteit (VU), Transitorium Van der Boechorststraat 1, NL 1081 BT Amsterdam, The Netherlands. jolanda.maas@vu.nl.
authors.forename: Jolanda
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Maas
authors.affiliation: 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. riannemuller@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Rianne
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Muller
authors.affiliation: 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. anoek_braun@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Anoek
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Braun
authors.affiliation: 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. wendykaandorp@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Wendy
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Kaandorp
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Psychology, Vrije Universiteit (VU), Transitorium Van der Boechorststraat 1, NL 1081 BT Amsterdam, The Netherlands. renevanlien@gmail.com.
authors.forename: René
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: van Lien
authors.affiliation: 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. mnm.vanpoppel@vumc.nl.
authors.forename: Mireille N M
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: van Poppel
authors.affiliation: 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. w.vanmechelen@vumc.nl.
authors.forename: Willem
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: van Mechelen
authors.affiliation: Department of Cultural Geography, Faculty of Spatial Sciences, University of Groningen, Landleven 1, 9747 AD Groningen, The Netherlands. a.e.van.den.berg@rug.nl.
authors.forename: Agnes E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: van den Berg
mesh_terms: D018592:Cross-Over Studies; D004562:Electrocardiography; D004779:Environment Design; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010275:Parasympathetic Nervous System / Q000502:physiology*; D010781:Photography; D013312:Stress, Physiological / Q000502:physiology*; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000503:physiopathology*; D013564:Sympathetic Nervous System / Q000502:physiology*; D014796:Visual Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: autonomic nervous system; natural environment; pre-ejection period; respiratory sinus arrhythmia; stress buffering; stress recovery