RESTORATIVE EFFECTS OF GARDENING

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RESTORATIVE EFFECTS OF GARDENING Agnes van den
Berg Mariëtte Custers Marijke van
Winsum-Westra Wageningen University and Research
Centre International Conference on Urban Health,
26 October 2006, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam,
ICUH, October 26, 2006
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BACKGROUND
VITAMIN G Health benefits of nature
G1 Netherlands
G2 Neighborhoods
G3 Allotment gardens
Restorative (relaxing) effects of gardening
1. Experiment
1. Experiment
2. Survey
3. Diary study
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ALLOTMENT GARDEN
Parks consisting of parcels of land assigned to
individual families.
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PEOPLE THINK GARDENING PROMOTES RELAXATION
Dunnett Quasim, 2000 What do you enjoy about
your garden and gardening?
Promoting relaxation (74)
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PEOPLE ACT ON THOSE BELIEFS

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DOES IT REALLY WORK?

• As yet, no controlled research
• But good reasons to assume that gardening indeed
  promotes restoration from stress

Exercise

-
gardening
stress
Contact with nature

-
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RESTORATIVE EFFECTS OF EXERCISE
Exercise provides outlet for flight-fight impulse
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RESTORATIVE EFFECTS OF NATURE

• Attention Restoration Theory (Kaplan Kaplan,
  1989)
• Contact with nature has survival-promoting
  qualities
• Soft fascination nature automatically draws
  attention without taking up all resources
• Mechanism for directed attention can rest
• Restoration from mental fatigue and stress.

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THE EXPERIMENT
30 members of the allotment complex
Amstelglorie in Amsterdam were randomly
assigned to conditions of gardening or a passive
reading task. Stress was induced by performing a
stressful computertask. Affective, cognitive and
physiological functioning was measured before and
after the stressful task, and during and after
the relaxing task.
1 person removed because of interruptions
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STRESS INDUCTION STROOP TASK

• Color naming task
• on laptop
• 25 minutes
• (false) negative feedback

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STRESS MEASURES
2. PANAS (self-reported mood)
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CONDITIONS

• GARDENING 30 minutes of light activities in own
  garden
• READING 30 minutes reading magazines screened
  for absence of pictures of nature, with back to
  window or curtains closed.

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DESIGN
10.30 AM 13.00 PM 15.30 PM
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RESULTS CORTISOL
Interaction Time (T1,T2,T3) x Condition (Reading,
gardening) with Cortisol T0 and Time of Day as
covariates F (1.94, 46.5) 4.20, p lt .05
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RESULTS POSITIVE AFFECT
Interaction Time (T1,T3) x Condition (Reading,
gardening) with Affect T0 and Time of Day as
covariates F (1, 24) 2.05, p .078
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RESULTS NEGATIVE AFFECT
No significant effects.
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RESULTS NECKER CUBE
No significant effects.
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ROLE OF PREFERENCE?

• Is gardening also restorative for people who do
  not like gardening?
• Clue reading is restorative for those who prefer
  passive activity.

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LESSONS LEARNED
Gardening promotes faster and more complete
restoration from physiological stress than a
passive reading task

• Stroop task is effective stress-inducer
• Cortisol is a new, promising physiological
  measure in restorative environments research
• Several possible underlying mechanism (nature,
  exercise, fresh air)
• No (significant) effects on mood/concentration
  different measures needed?
• Role of preference deserves further attention.