Journal of Environmental Psychology最新文献

{"title":"Are numbers necessary to identify low-emission lifestyles? An experimental study on heuristics and carbon competence","authors":"Martin Julian Merten,&nbsp;Josephine Katharina Bokowski,&nbsp;Ellen Matthies","doi":"10.1016/j.jenvp.2026.102948","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jenvp.2026.102948","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>To address climate change, we urgently need changes in the lifestyle domains that have a high impact on greenhouse-gas emissions. However, recent studies have shown that people's estimates of the greenhouse-gas emissions of different lifestyle domains are inaccurate, potentially misdirecting behavior change from high-impact to low-impact behaviors. We investigated whether inadequate decision-making strategies (heuristics) play a role in misestimating carbon impacts using a choice task in a randomized, four-group design. One group served as the control group; the others received information about the impact-relevance of five lifestyle domains (heating, everyday mobility, food consumption, air-travel, and electricity). EG1 received undifferentiating information, EG2 the order of the impacts, and EG3 numerical information (tons CO2eq) to trigger the heuristics <em>tallying</em>, <em>take-the-best</em>, and <em>weighted addition</em>, respectively. In our sample of <em>N</em> = 559 German citizens, we found that the type of information influenced (a) the misestimation of the impacts of these domains (<em>eta</em>² = 0.136, <em>p</em> &lt; .001), (b) the heuristics the participants used (Cramer's <em>V</em> = 0.15, <em>p</em> &lt; .001), and (c) their ability to choose the more climate-friendly lifestyle (<em>eta</em>² = 0.063, <em>p</em> &lt; .001). The effect on performance in the choice task was mediated by both the perceived impacts of the five domains and the heuristics the participants used, each explaining unique variance (16.1% vs. 17.3%, respectively; 30.3% combined, 38.2% with interaction). Interestingly, the group receiving numerical information did not perform better in the choice task than the group that received information about the order of importance (<em>d</em> = 0.02, <em>p</em> = .45). We conclude that climate communication needs to put more emphasis on relative differences in impact-relevance and should make explicit that some domains – heating and everyday mobility – are much more important than others. To make people more competent at estimating climate impacts, providing a simple ranked order might work best.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48439,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Environmental Psychology","volume":"110 ","pages":"Article 102948"},"PeriodicalIF":7.0,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147421201","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Promotive-mountain and preventive-ocean: The interactive effect of natural environment and regulatory focus on green consumption","authors":"Hyunji Lee ,&nbsp;Shengmin Si ,&nbsp;Kahyun Lee ,&nbsp;Nara Youn","doi":"10.1016/j.jenvp.2025.102854","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jenvp.2025.102854","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Although nature exposure can promote pro-environmental behavior, the distinct effects of mountains and oceans on green consumption remain underexplored. Building on research linking mountains with aspiration and achievement and oceans with caution and risk avoidance, this work examines how these associations interact with regulatory focus to shape green advertising effectiveness. A pretest (N = 205) confirmed that mountains align with promotion and oceans with prevention. Study 1 (N = 4969) analyzed green Kickstarter campaigns, showing that campaigns incorporating mountain-related elements in their text and images were more successful when paired with promotion-focused framing, whereas those incorporating ocean-related elements were more successful when paired with prevention-focused framing. Three laboratory experiments further tested these effects. Study 2 (N = 205) found that mountain-themed green advertisements were more persuasive for promotion-focused individuals and ocean-themed ads for prevention-focused individuals, mediated by processing fluency. Study 3 (N = 208) replicated these effects using manipulated imagery and regulatory focus, identifying environmental self-efficacy—a consumer's confidence in their ability to contribute positively to the environment—as an additional mediator. Study 4 (N = 204) integrated these pathways, demonstrating that regulatory fit enhances fluency, which in turn strengthens environmental self-efficacy and ultimately increases advertising effectiveness, including willingness to pay.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48439,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Environmental Psychology","volume":"110 ","pages":"Article 102854"},"PeriodicalIF":7.0,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146173206","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"(Not) all in this together? Viewing climate change as a question of (in)justice rather than common fate increases collective action","authors":"Lea Hartwich ,&nbsp;Helena R.M. Radke ,&nbsp;Nicole Tausch","doi":"10.1016/j.jenvp.2026.102944","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jenvp.2026.102944","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Even among people who agree on the existence and urgency of the climate crisis, different understandings of its causes and consequences prevail. Climate change can be understood primarily as a question of injustice, stressing its unequal effects on privileged and marginalized individuals and groups, but it can also be conceptualized as a common fate, stressing the vulnerability of humanity as a whole. Across four studies (total <em>N</em> = 1402), with activists and general population samples from Germany, Malaysia, and the United Kingdom, we investigated how these different understandings affect participation in political activism against climate change. In line with our predictions, we consistently found that climate injustice appraisals (at the individual, group, and systemic level) positively predicted collective action intentions, whereas common fate perceptions showed no or negative effects. We discuss the implications of our findings for researchers and climate movements, particularly the importance of centering climate (in)justice in mobilizing climate action and the potentially demobilizing effects of common fate narratives.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48439,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Environmental Psychology","volume":"110 ","pages":"Article 102944"},"PeriodicalIF":7.0,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146173728","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Context matters: Optimal green wall geometry for window views vary with sound conditions","authors":"Wenbo Li,&nbsp;Yang Liu,&nbsp;Yihe Li","doi":"10.1016/j.jenvp.2025.102834","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jenvp.2025.102834","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In high-density urban environments, residents’ window view experiences significantly impact their psychophysiological states. Green walls on building facades, as a vertical greening strategy, can enhance visual environments, mitigate noise perception, and potentially induce beneficial emotional and physiological responses. However, existing research has largely overlooked the differential effects of green wall shapes. This study uses virtual reality (VR) to examine how green wall shapes affect physiological and psychological responses under different sound conditions. A full-factorial design (4 sound conditions × 4 visual environments) was implemented in a VR experiment. Psychological responses were measured with the PANAS and STAI-6 scales for emotional states and anxiety, while physiological responses were recorded via heart rate variability (HRV) and electroencephalography (EEG). Results show that (1) Across most sound conditions, all green wall shapes significantly improved emotional states, reduced anxiety, and induced relaxation-related psychological and physiological changes, confirming the general psychophysiological benefits of green walls. (2) The regulatory effects of green wall shapes were highly dependent on the sound conditions. Rectangular green walls performed best in the No-Sound (NS) and Traffic-Dominant Sound (TDS) condition, effectively buffering stress and promoting deep relaxation. Square green walls were most effective under Conversation-Dominant Sound (CDS) condition, potentially by reducing cognitive load. Triangular green walls excelled under the monotonous Ventilation- Dominant Sound (VDS) condition, counteracting low arousal states through visual stimulation, but showed limited effects in traffic noise settings. (3) HRV and EEG analyses further elucidated the physiological basis of these differential effects, revealing that distinct combinations of green wall shapes and sound conditions modulated autonomic nervous system balance and specific brain frequency bands, thereby producing varied psychophysiological patterns. This study demonstrates that the psychophysiological benefits of window view green walls are not uniform but rather result from complex interactions between their geometric shapes and the surrounding auditory environment.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48439,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Environmental Psychology","volume":"110 ","pages":"Article 102834"},"PeriodicalIF":7.0,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146173730","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Nostalgia promotes pro-environmental orientation and behavior via longing for the past nature and nature connectedness","authors":"Ziyan Yang ,&nbsp;Zixi Wang ,&nbsp;Ying Yang","doi":"10.1016/j.jenvp.2026.102967","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jenvp.2026.102967","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Nostalgia, a longing for one's past, involves the longing for the past nature. We proposed that, nostalgia, particularly nature-engaged nostalgia, promoted pro-environmental orientation and behavior via enhanced longing for the past nature and nature connectedness. Semantic associations in natural language (Study 1) revealed positive relationships between nostalgia and nature, and between nostalgia and pro-environmental concepts. Correlational evidence (Study 2, <em>N</em> = 1835) suggested positive associations between trait nostalgia, nature connectedness, and pro-environmental orientation and behavior. Results from two experimental studies suggested induced nostalgia, especially nature-engaged nostalgia, promoted pro-environmental orientation (Study 3, <em>N</em> = 400) and behavior (Study 4, <em>N</em> = 300), and longing for the past nature and nature connectedness serially mediated these effects. The findings provided convergent evidence for the link between nostalgia, nature and pro-environmental engagement, highlighted the role of nostalgia in environmental protection and ecological restoration, and offered a new perspective for integrating nostalgia into environmental psychology.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48439,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Environmental Psychology","volume":"110 ","pages":"Article 102967"},"PeriodicalIF":7.0,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147421929","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"How environmental geometry influences navigation in young and older adults?","authors":"Maayan Merhav ,&nbsp;Dafna Fisher-Gewirtzman","doi":"10.1016/j.jenvp.2026.102900","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jenvp.2026.102900","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Wayfinding declines with age, often due to impaired landmark-based navigation. Emerging evidence suggests that older adults compensate navigational declines by relying on environmental geometry. This study examined whether geometrical layout can support navigation in aging under ecologically valid conditions. Using immersive virtual reality, young (n = 78) and older (n = 50) adults navigated two shopping arenas differing in geometrical distinctiveness, by altering their level of symmetry: circular (high symmetry) and elliptical (lower symmetry, with added vertical asymmetry). Results revealed that young adults showed enhanced wayfinding accuracy in the elliptical environment, suggesting that reduced symmetry and increased geometric distinctiveness facilitate navigation. Contrary to expectations, older adults' navigation was unaffected by environmental geometry, potentially reflecting age-related declines in visuospatial processing or associative binding. The findings indicate that while geometric cues can enhance wayfinding in young adults, such benefits may not translate to older populations. These insights advance evidence-based environmental design aimed at supporting wayfinding.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48439,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Environmental Psychology","volume":"110 ","pages":"Article 102900"},"PeriodicalIF":7.0,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145979516","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Development and psychometric testing of the Healthcare Garden Assessment Tool for Evaluators (GATE)","authors":"Naomi A. Sachs ,&nbsp;Susan D. Rodiek ,&nbsp;Mardelle M. Shepley ,&nbsp;Chanam Lee ,&nbsp;Xuemei Zhu ,&nbsp;Louis Morrell","doi":"10.1016/j.jenvp.2026.102961","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jenvp.2026.102961","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background and objectives</h3><div>Healthcare organizations and designers increasingly integrate gardens and other outdoor spaces to promote the health and well-being of patients, visitors, and staff. These spaces should be designed according to the best available evidence and evaluated to ensure intended outcomes are achieved. To date, no validated instruments evaluate gardens in acute care hospitals. To address this gap, the Garden Assessment Tool for Evaluators (GATE) was developed as a standardized instrument for researchers, designers, and healthcare providers.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>The 86-item GATE instrument was based on an exploration of existing literature, audits, and design guidelines, as well as conversations with and input from experts in the field. It was tested at 25 healthcare-related landscapes for scoring and interrater reliability using Kappa, intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC), and percentages of agreement.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>The GATE demonstrated high content and convergent validity and good construct validity. Convergent validity was supported by a high correlation between two different scoring methods. Interrater reliability was supported by interrater agreement ranging from 36% to 100% and high Kappa scores.</div></div><div><h3>Discussion</h3><div>Lower-than-expected ICC scores were likely due to missing values and limited variability with some items, as well as logistical issues with the specific test gardens. Future work should include deletion and/or modification of items that received low ICC and percentage of agreement scores; further evaluation in more diverse facilities and for specialized populations; and the creation of a user manual and formalized training program.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48439,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Environmental Psychology","volume":"110 ","pages":"Article 102961"},"PeriodicalIF":7.0,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147420205","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"When norms surprise: the emotional power of descriptive norms in promoting sustainable energy engagement","authors":"Alessandro Milani ,&nbsp;Marino Bonaiuto ,&nbsp;Cody D. Packard ,&nbsp;P. Wesley Schultz","doi":"10.1016/j.jenvp.2026.102959","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jenvp.2026.102959","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Social norms are an effective pathway for promoting pro-environmental behavior. Prior research has shown that injunctive normative beliefs about social approval or disapproval can activate emotional responses. However, the emotional underpinnings of descriptive norms have not been systematically studied, and there are theoretical grounds for predicting that emotions may not mediate behavioral responses induced through descriptive social norms. This research addresses this gap by examining how descriptive social norms influence emotional responses, and in turn, how emotions influence pro-environmental behaviors. Through a pre-registered experimental study, the present research investigates how exposure to descriptive norm information (support for Sustainable Energy Technologies [SETs]) can evoke emotions that motivate or inhibit energy-related pro-environmental actions. In a sample of California residents (<em>N</em> = 600), a 2 × 2 × 2 factorial design is employed to analyze the effect of the descriptive norm on individuals’ emotional responses and engagement with SETs. Findings indicate that descriptive norms (unlike injunctive norms) do not influence general positive affect. On the other hand, descriptive normative information was found to selectively trigger surprise – a neutral valence, high-arousal emotional response – particularly among above-average SETs supporters. Additional analyses show that the emotional response of surprise mediates the relationship between the descriptive norm and task engagement, especially when normative expectations are negatively violated. No direct effect of the descriptive norm on behavior is observed.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48439,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Environmental Psychology","volume":"110 ","pages":"Article 102959"},"PeriodicalIF":7.0,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147421208","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Health and well-being in nature: Analysis of 18,054 visit reports and implications for nature-based biopsychosocial resilience theory (NBRT)","authors":"Valentina Hampejs ,&nbsp;Addi Wala ,&nbsp;Ulrich S. Tran ,&nbsp;Sabine Pahl ,&nbsp;Julia A.M. Egger ,&nbsp;Martin Voracek ,&nbsp;Mathew P. White","doi":"10.1016/j.jenvp.2026.102918","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jenvp.2026.102918","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Nature-based biopsychosocial resilience theory (NBRT) proposes that visiting nature helps build and maintain ‘stocks’ of adaptive biological, psychological, and social resilience resources that can later be used to prevent, respond to, or recover from stressors. Using 2020-24 data from a representative sample of adults across England, we examined how recent nature visits (<em>n</em> = 18,054) contribute to self-reported biopsychosocial health and well-being (foundational components of resilience stocks), as a function of natural setting (e.g., urban/rural green, coastal), natural elements (e.g., safety, biodiversity), and nature contact components (i.e., activity, duration, companionship, nature connectedness). Coastal visits were more positively associated with biological and psychological (but not social) health and well-being than the average across all setting types. Visit settings rated as peaceful, safe, clean, accessible, and biodiverse, as well as longer visits and those undertaken by people higher in nature connectedness, were positively related to all three types of health and well-being. Further scrutiny of walking as the most common visit type (<em>n</em> = 9,065) showed that duration was more important for self-reported biological and psychological health and well-being when alone than when with others. Additionally, duration and companionship were less important for social well-being among those with higher nature connectedness. Findings are in line with the notion that nature visits can enhance multiple dimensions of health and well-being, thus contributing to biopsychosocial resilience stocks. Further research is needed to explore how such visit-related benefits may support individuals to be more adaptively resilient to diverse stressors.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48439,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Environmental Psychology","volume":"110 ","pages":"Article 102918"},"PeriodicalIF":7.0,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146023407","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The neuropsychological correlates of urban navigation: A meta-analysis of 27 years of functional neuroimaging studies","authors":"Donato Liloia ,&nbsp;Gabriele Filomena","doi":"10.1016/j.jenvp.2025.102857","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jenvp.2025.102857","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Navigation in urban environments requires high-order cognitive processes and flexible spatial strategies to handle their structural complexity and rich sensory inputs. Despite extensive psychobiological research, the precise large-scale neural substrates supporting spatial navigation in urban environments remain only partially understood, also due to methodological variability across studies. Advances in functional neuroimaging have enabled the detailed mapping of brain activity during navigation, highlighting the role of the hippocampal-entorhinal system. However, additional cortical and subcortical areas are implicated, reflecting the multifaceted nature of urban wayfinding involving route- and survey-based strategies. This meta-analysis synthesises 27 years of task-based functional magnetic resonance imaging and positron emission tomography research by analysing 26 experimental contrasts with 296 healthy adults performing urban navigation tasks. Using the Signed Differential Mapping-Permutation of Subject Images method, we identified a consistent neural network encompassing bilateral median cingulate cortex, supplementary motor areas, parahippocampal gyri, hippocampi, retrosplenial cortex, precuneus, prefrontal regions, cerebellar lobule VI, and striatum. Sub-analyses revealed both common and distinct activations for route- and survey-based navigation strategies. In addition to common engagement of the parahippocampal place area and retrosplenial cortex, route-based strategies recruited the right inferior frontal gyrus, whereas survey-based strategies showed activations in the thalamus and insula. No significant influence of sex, age, or sample size was found. These findings advance understanding of how the brain supports navigation in complex urban settings and highlight possible targets for future research into spatial deficits and the development of navigational aids.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48439,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Environmental Psychology","volume":"110 ","pages":"Article 102857"},"PeriodicalIF":7.0,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146023432","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}