Green effect
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The Green Effect: Insights from Recent Research
Positive Effects of Green Exercise on Mood and Perceived Exertion
Research has consistently shown that green exercise, which involves physical activity in natural environments, has beneficial effects on both physical and psychological well-being. A study examining the impact of visual color perception during exercise found that participants who cycled while viewing green environments reported lower mood disturbances and perceived exertion compared to those viewing gray or red environments. This suggests that the color green, a common feature in natural settings, contributes significantly to the positive outcomes of green exercise1.
Systematic Review of Green Exercise Benefits
A systematic review of studies comparing green exercise to indoor exercise without nature exposure found that green exercise may enhance affective valence and enjoyment. However, the evidence was limited and of low quality, indicating a need for more robust research. The review highlighted that while green exercise might reduce perceived exertion slightly, it did not consistently affect other physical or mental health outcomes2.
Psychophysiological Responses to Green Environments
Exposure to green environments has been shown to influence various psychophysiological parameters. For instance, walking in a green environment can reduce heart rate, indicating a calming effect. Conversely, running in a green environment may increase perceived exertion, suggesting that the type of activity and the context of the green exposure can modulate its effects3. Additionally, green exercise has been associated with moderate reductions in state anxiety, particularly in more natural settings7.
Global Greening and Climate Change Mitigation
On a broader scale, the phenomenon of global greening, driven by factors such as CO2 fertilization and afforestation, has significant implications for climate change. Increased vegetation can enhance carbon uptake and provide cooling effects through evaporative processes. However, it can also lead to decreased albedo, potentially causing localized warming. The greening trend is particularly pronounced in regions with intensive farming and afforestation efforts, such as China and India4.
Economic and Market Impacts of Renewable Green Energy
The transition to renewable energy sources, often termed "green energy," is driven by the need to address energy security, fuel price volatility, and climate change. This shift has notable economic impacts, as seen in electricity markets in Spain, Germany, and Latin America. The deployment of renewable energy sources like wind, solar, and hydro is essential for diversifying energy portfolios and reducing reliance on fossil fuels5.
Urban Green Space Cooling Effect
Urban green spaces play a crucial role in mitigating the urban heat island effect. Large urban parks, in particular, can significantly cool surrounding areas, providing comfort to city dwellers. The cooling intensity and distance are influenced by the size and natural elements of the green spaces, making them vital for urban planning and design6.
Enhancing Creativity with Green Environments
Exposure to green environments, including the presence of plants and views of nature, has been shown to enhance visual creativity. A study involving business students found that those in classrooms with plants and natural views performed better on visual creativity tasks compared to those without such exposure. However, this effect did not extend to verbal creativity, suggesting that the benefits of green environments may be domain-specific9.
Psychological and Physiological Benefits of Green Walls
Incorporating green walls in indoor spaces can alleviate stress and improve mental health. A study using virtual reality to simulate green walls found that small green walls had a significant relaxing effect on occupants, as evidenced by reductions in anxiety and physiological stress markers. However, larger green walls did not provide the same benefits and could even increase stress levels, highlighting the importance of appropriate design in biophilic interventions10.
Conclusion
The green effect encompasses a wide range of benefits, from enhancing mood and reducing anxiety during exercise to mitigating climate change and improving urban living conditions. While the evidence supports the positive impacts of green environments, further research is needed to fully understand the mechanisms and optimize the use of green spaces and elements in various contexts.
Sources and full results
Most relevant research papers on this topic
Visual color perception in green exercise: positive effects on mood and perceived exertion.
The color green, as a primitive visual feature of natural environments, contributes to positive green exercise outcomes, reducing mood disturbance and perceived exertion.
Non-RCT
Highly CitedThe Effects of Green Exercise on Physical and Mental Wellbeing: A Systematic Review
Green exercise may offer limited benefits compared to exercise without exposure to nature, with limited evidence supporting its superiority.
Systematic Review
Rigorous JournalHighly CitedAdaptive Effects of Seeing Green Environment on Psychophysiological Parameters When Walking or Running
Exposure to green environments reduces heart rate and perceived exertion while running, while red reduces tension, while preferred gait speed remains unaffected.
RCTCharacteristics, drivers and feedbacks of global greening
Global vegetation greening, driven by CO2 fertilization, can mitigate global warming by increasing land carbon uptake and evaporative cooling, but may also lead to decreased albedo and altered precipitation patterns.
Literature ReviewHighly CitedThe Green Effect
Renewable energy generation in Spain, Germany, and Latin America has led to increased market competition, lower electricity prices, and improved energy security.
Highly CitedUrban green space cooling effect in cities
Large urban parks with an area of over 10 ha have the highest cooling effect distance and intensity, but natural elements and climate characteristics also play a significant role in their cooling effect.
Literature ReviewHighly CitedThe effect of “green exercise” on state anxiety and the role of exercise duration, intensity, and greenness: A quasi-experimental study
Green exercise moderately reduces short-term anxiety, with greater reductions in anxiety observed in Road Cycling, Boxercise, and Mountain Biking groups, and in more natural environments.
Non-RCTHighly CitedStimulation with monochromatic green light during incubation alters satellite cell mitotic activity and gene expression in relation to embryonic and posthatch muscle growth of broiler chickens.
Monochromatic green light during incubation promotes muscle growth in broiler chickens by enhancing proliferation and differentiation of satellite cells in late embryonic and newly hatched stages.
RCT
Animal StudyRigorous JournalFacilitating creative thinking in the classroom: investigating the effects of plants and the colour green on visual and verbal creativity
Exposure to natural views, plants, and the color green increase visual creativity in classroom settings, but have no impact on verbal creativity.
RCTPsychological and physiological effects of a green wall on occupants: A cross-over study in virtual reality
Small green walls in indoor spaces have a more significant relaxing effect on residents, while large green walls may increase their stress levels.
Non-RCTHighly Cited