Contact with Nature

Abstract

The built environment can promote or hinder mental health. Place attachment refers to the psychological and social connections people feel with certain placestheir homes, the settings in which they grew up, and others. The conditions of modern life place great demands onand often exhaustour ability to pay attention. Green settings have the capacity to alleviate mental fatigue and help restore a persons capacity to pay attention. Crowded, noisy, and dangerous places have a variety of negative impacts on people and their psychological states, fostering, for example, stress, anxiety, depression, and violent behavior. Some places draw people together and thus support the development of social ties and enhance the development of social capital. Places that encourage physical activity can both prevent and treat depression.