scholarly journals NATURAL RETREATS AND HUMAN WELL-BEING: READING THE SONG OF SONGS THROUGH THE LENS OF ATTENTION RESTORATION THEORY

Scriptura ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 115 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hendrik Viviers
Keyword(s):  
Well Being ◽  
Song Of Songs ◽  
Attention Restoration Theory ◽  
Attention Restoration

GARDENS AS “PARTNERS” IN CONTEMPLATION: READING THE STORIES OF THE FIRST EDEN (GENESIS 2–3) AND A RESTORED EDEN (SONG OF SONGS) THROUGH THE LENS OF ATTENTION RESTORATION THEORY

2017 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 347-370
Author(s):  
Hendrik Viviers
Keyword(s):  
Old Testament ◽  
Active Agent ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Song Of Songs ◽  
Desiderius Erasmus ◽  
Attention Restoration Theory ◽  
Isaac Newton ◽  
Attention Restoration ◽  
The Past ◽  
The One

It is well known that gardens have always been inspiring for great thinkers of the past, for instance Greek and Roman philosophers, Confucian thinkers, Desiderius Erasmus, Isaac Newton and Arnold Toynbee, to name but a few. Why is this so? Attention Restoration Theory, developed by environmental psychologists Stephen and Rachel Kaplan, explains how both wild (e.g., reserves) and cultivated nature (e.g., parks, gardens) can assist in replenishing our cognitive and emotional coping capacities, and uplift us. Nature is not only a setting but an active agent/“partner” in sustaining human well-being, inter alia when contemplating or reflecting on the meaning of life. In order to achieve this the human/nature relationship needs to meet the properties of “being away”, “compatibility”, “‘soft’ fascination” and “extent”. Shining the light of these insights on two “Edens” in the Old Testament, the one lost (Gen 2–3) and the other revived (Song of Songs), nature’s role in evoking contemplation especially, whether on human fate or human delight, will be highlighted.

scholarly journals Interaction with the Plant World as a Source of Positive Human Functioning

2020 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 151-169
Author(s):  
S.K. Nartova-Bochaver ◽  
E.A. Mukhortova ◽  
B.D. Irkhin
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Psychiatric Patients ◽  
Effective Means ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Risk Groups ◽  
Physical And Mental Health ◽  
Attention Restoration Theory ◽  
Attention Restoration ◽  
Human Functioning ◽  
Somatic Diseases

The present review examines the restorative potential of interaction with flora for the physical and mental health of a person and their psychological well-being. The plant world is a particular part of nature, characterized by responsiveness, aesthetic appeal, and unobtrusiveness. These features make plants an effective means of restoring cognitive abilities, emotional state, as well as developing personal and behavioral effectiveness. At the same time, it is noted that, due to the phenomenon of plant blindness, their recovery resource is not used enough. The types of eco-therapy are analyzed; theories explaining the mechanisms of plants’ influence on the people’s psyche (biophilia hypothesis, attention restoration theory, stress recovery/reduction theory, and phyto-resonance) are presented. We review the results of studies proving the beneficial effect of interactions with the plant world (gardening, walking in the forest and park, simulation of the natural environment) on physical health and recovery from somatic diseases, on attention, creativity, behavior, and social functioning of a person. The effectiveness of interaction with flora is also noteworthy in the case of working with particular groups of people (adolescents from risk groups, offenders, and psychiatric patients). We analyze the limitations of studies, mainly related to their design.

scholarly journals Nature-Based Physical Activity Advertising: Recommendations Based on Attention Restoration Theory and Psychoevolutionary Theory

2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Adam G Gavarkovs
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Negative Mood ◽  
Self Esteem ◽  
Physical Activities ◽  
Natural Images ◽  
Message Design ◽  
Health And Wellness ◽  
Attention Restoration Theory ◽  
Attention Restoration ◽  
Health Promotion Campaign

Recent research has suggested that physical activity in natural areas may provide benefits that exceed those in other settings. Additional benefits include increased self-esteem and enjoyment of the activity, and decreased negative mood states and blood pressure. Therefore, encouraging nature-based physical activities may play an important role in the promotion of health and wellness. Advertising has been cited as an important component of a health promotion campaign; although to date no study has recommended strategies for designing advertising specific to nature-based physical activities. The purpose of this article is to review two prominent human-nature interaction frameworks, Attention Restoration Theory (ART) and Psychoevolutionary Theory (PET), and based on their tenets, recommend strategies for message design. The two recommendations proposed are: (1) to include natural images that meet the restorative criteria outlined in both theories; and (2) to explicitly feature the additional benefits of exercising in natural spaces in advertisements. Adhering to these recommendations in the advertisement design process may increase the effectiveness of the message.

scholarly journals When the Nature of ‘Nature’ is Inconsistent: Evaluating the Natural Environment in Attention Restoration Theory

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Naseem Dillman-Hasso
Keyword(s):  
Randomized Controlled Trials ◽  
Cognitive Processes ◽  
Natural Environment ◽  
Attentional Control ◽  
Controlled Trials ◽  
Attention Restoration Theory ◽  
Attention Restoration ◽  
Randomized Controlled ◽  
Art Research

The Attention Restoration Theory (ART; Kaplan & Kaplan, 1989) postulates that exposure to nature can help improve cognitive processes, specifically attentional control. These benefits are hypothesized to help with concentration and focus. However, there is tremendous variability in the definitions and manipulations of nature in research on ART. This complicates extrapolation from the results and makes it harder to see if nature itself is the restorative component or rather some other facet. This review evaluates randomized controlled trials studying the ART from 2013-2018 and catalogues differences in how nature was operationalized across studies. The paper presents suggestions for more methodologically consistent ART research, including direct replications, and an updated scale for measuring the restorativeness of an environment. This preprint is an unpublished senior thesis.

scholarly journals Restoration Experience Measurement Methods in Contact with Green Open Spaces

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fahimeh Malekinezhad ◽  
Hasanuddin bin Lamit
Keyword(s):  
Human Health ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Mental Fatigue ◽  
Open Spaces ◽  
Natural Landscape ◽  
Stress Alleviation ◽  
Attention Restoration ◽  
Supportive Environment ◽  
Health Related ◽  
Health And Well Being

Contact with nature is suggested to be as an important resource for human health and well-being. Stress alleviation and reduction of mental fatigue are main instances of improvement of human health and well-being in contact with nature. Although the term restoration experience in contact with nature has been used repeatedly for concepts of stress alleviation and reduction of mental fatigue, these refer to different sets of theories and research studies. In this paper, by reviewing the nature-health related theories of Biophilia, Stress Recovery Theory, Attention Restoration Theory and Supportive Environment Theory (SET), the similarities and differences between these two concepts have been discussed. Moreover, the measurement approach instruments based on different study methodologies and aims are provided. This paper could provide information for future studies with focus on factors to be of benefit for restoration experience in design and planning of natural landscape environments with the aim of health and well-being development.

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