Urban Mind: Using Smartphone Technologies to Investigate the Impact of Nature on Mental Wellbeing in Real Time

摘要

It has been suggested that exposure to natural features within the urban environment can have beneficial effects on mental health. However, most existing evidence comes from studies that used a cross-sectional design and did not consider the interaction with individual characteristics such as age, lifestyle and vulnerability to mental illness. We developed a smartphone-based tool (Urban Mind; www.urbanmind.info) to examine how exposure to natural features affects momentary mental wellbeing in real-time and real-world environments and how this depends on individual characteristics. The Urban Mind tool was used to monitor 108 anonymous volunteers who completed a total of 3013 assessments over a one-week period. Longitudinal associations between self-reported environmental characteristics and momentary mental wellbeing were investigated using random intercept linear models. Specific natural features such as being outdoors, seeing trees, hearing birdsong and seeing the sky, had beneficial effects on momentary mental wellbeing (all p values < 0.001). These associations were still evident up to 7.5 hours after a single exposure had taken place, indicating time-lasting benefits. In addition, these associations were stronger in people with higher trait impulsivity - a psychological measure of one's tendency to behave with little forethought or consideration of the consequences, and a predictor of higher risk of developing mental health issues. Our investigation extends existing evidence on the benefit of nature on mental wellbeing, by demonstrating time-lasting effects that interact with an individual's vulnerability to mental health issues. These findings have potential implications both from the perspectives of global mental health and urban planning and design. We are currently trialing the Urban Mind app in clinical populations.