Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in
Book cover

Well-Being and Cultures pp 103–116Cite as

Culture, Environmental Psychology, and Well-Being: An Emergent Theoretical Framework

  • Chapter
  • First Online:

Part of the book series: Cross-Cultural Advancements in Positive Psychology ((CAPP,volume 3))

Abstract

The concept of nature has a great variability across cultures and could be considered as an artifact that contains and conveys cultural information.

The cross-cultural research on nature suggests that culture is a valuable theoretical framework to understand the wide range of place-oriented attitudes, emotions, and perceptions. Although it is a classic theme in the environmental psychology field, the positive psychological effects triggered by natural environments have been poorly investigated in a cross-cultural perspective, favoring an evolutionary orientation in attempting to settle universal processes. Our contribution criticizes this mainstream view suggesting a crossbreeding with some key concepts coming from positive and cultural psychology (optimal experience, flourishing, positive emotions, vitality, cultural self). Highlighting some recent researches with an alternative view of the nature-well-being relationship, we aim to propose a wider framework encompassing natural areas, positive place experiences and cultures of belonging.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.

Chapter
USD   29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD   84.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD   109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD   109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Learn about institutional subscriptions

References

  • Andereck, K., Valentine, K., Vogt, K., & Knopf, R. (2007). A cross-cultural analysis of tourism and quality of life perceptions. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 15(5), 483–502.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Balling, J. D., & Falk, J. H. (1982). Development of visual preference for natural environments. Environment and Behavior, 14, 5–28.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Berlyne, D. E. (1950). Novelty and curiosity as determinants of exploratory behavior. British Journal of Psychology, 41(12), 68–80.

    Google Scholar 

  • Berlyne, D. E. (1954). A theory of human curiosity. British Journal of Psychology, 45(3), 180–191.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Berry, J. W. (1980). Acculturation as varieties of adaptation. In A. Padilla (Ed.), Acculturation: Theory, models and some new findings (pp. 9–25). Boulder: Westview.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bronfenbrenner, U. (1977). Toward an experimental ecology of human development. American Psychologist, 32(7), 513–531.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bronfenbrenner, U. (1979). The ecology of human development: Experiments by nature and design. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brown, B., & Perkins, D. D. (1992). Disruptions in place attachment. In I. Altman & S. M. Low (Eds.), Place attachment (pp. 279–304). New York: Plenum Press.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Buijs, A. E., Elands, B. H. M., & Langers, F. (2009). No wilderness for immigrants: Cultural differences in images of nature and landscape preferences. Landscape and Urban Planning, 91(3), 113–123.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Byrne, J., & Wolch, J. (2009). Nature, race, and parks: Past research and future directions for geographic research. Progress in Human Geography, 33(6), 743–765.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chavez, D. J. (2001). Managing outdoor recreation in California: Visitor contact studies 1989–1998 (General Technical Report PSW-GTR-180). Albany: USDA Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Research Station.

    Google Scholar 

  • Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1975). Beyond boredom and anxiety. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

    Google Scholar 

  • Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1991). Flow: The psychology of optimal experience: Steps toward enhancing the quality of life. New York: Harper Collins.

    Google Scholar 

  • Csikszentmihalyi, M., & Massimini, F. (1985). On the psychological selection of bio-cultural information. New Ideas in Psychology, 3(2), 115–138.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Csikszentmihalyi, M., & Nakamura, J. (2010). Effortless attention in everyday life: A systematic phenomenology. In B. Bruya (Ed.), Effortless attention: A new perspective in the cognitive science of attention and action (pp. 179–190). Cambridge: MIT Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dawkins, R. (1976). The selfish gene. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Delle Fave, A., Massimini, F., & Bassi, M. (2011). Psychological selection and optimal experience across cultures. New York: Springer.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Ehlers, E. (2003). Environment across culture: An introduction. In C. F. Gethmann & E. Ehlers (Eds.), Environment across cultures (pp. 1–9). Berlin: Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Falk, J. H., & Balling, J. D. (2010). Evolutionary influence on human landscape preference. Environment and Behavior, 42, 479–493.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Floyd, M. F., Bocarro, J. N., & Thompson, T. (2008). Research on race and ethnicity in leisure studies: A review of five major journals. Journal of Leisure Research, 40(1), 1–22.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fredrickson, B. L. (2001). The role of positive emotions in positive psychology: The broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions. American Psychologist, 56, 218–226.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Gesler, W. (1996). Lourdes: Healing in a place of pilgrimage. Health & Place, 2, 95–105.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ham, T. Y., Guerin, D. A., & Scott, S. C. (2004). A cross-cultural comparison of preference for visual attributes in interior environments: America and China. Journal of Interior Design, 30(2), 37–50.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Han, K. T. (2007). Responses to six major terrestrial biomes in terms of scenic beauty, preference, and restorativeness. Environment and Behavior, 39, 529–556.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hartig, T., & Staats, H. (2006). The need for psychological restoration as a determinant of environmental preferences. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 26(3), 215–226.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Heerwagen, J. H., & Orians, G. H. (1986). Adaptations to windowlessness: A study of the use of visual decor in windowed and windowless offices. Environment and Behavior, 18(5), 623–639.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Herzog, T. R., Herbert, E. J., Kaplan, R., & Crooks, C. L. (2000). Cultural and developmental comparisons of landscape perceptions and preferences. Environment and Behavior, 32, 323–346.

    Google Scholar 

  • Inghilleri, P. (1999). From subjective experience to cultural change. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Inghilleri, P. (2003). La buona vita: Per l’uso creativo degli oggetti nella società dell’abbondanza. Milano: Guerini & Associati.

    Google Scholar 

  • Inghilleri, P. (Ed.). (2009). Psicologia culturale. Milano: Raffaello Cortina Editore.

    Google Scholar 

  • James, W. (1892). Psychology: The briefer course. New York: Holt.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Kaplan, R. (1983). The role of nature in the urban context. In I. Altman & J. F. Wohlwill (Eds.), Behavior and the natural environment (pp. 127–161). New York: Plenum Press.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Kaplan, S. (1987). Aesthetics, affect and cognition: Environmental preference from an evolutionary perspective. Environment and Behavior, 19, 3–32.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kaplan, S. (1995). The restorative benefits of nature: Toward an integrative framework. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 15(3), 169–182.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kaplan, R., & Kaplan, S. (1978). Humanscape: Environments for people. North Scituate: Duxbury Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kaplan, S., & Kaplan, R. (1982). Cognition and environment: Functioning in an uncertain world. New York: Praeger.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kaplan, R., & Kaplan, S. (1989). The experience of nature: A psychological perspective. New York: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kaplan, S., & Talbot, J. F. (1983). Psychological benefits of a wilderness experience. In I. Altman & J. F. Wohlwill (Eds.), Behavior and the natural environment (pp. 163–203). New York: Plenum Press.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Kaplan, R., & Talbot, J. F. (1988). Ethnicity and preference for natural settings: A review and recent findings. Landscape and Urban Planning, 15, 107–117.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kellert, S. R. (1995). Concepts of nature east and west. In M. E. Soulé & G. Lease (Eds.), Reinventing nature?: Responses to postmodern deconstruction (pp. 103–121). Washington, DC: Island Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Keyes, C. L. (2002). The mental health continuum: From languishing to flourishing in life. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 43, 207–222.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kluckhohn, F. R., & Strodtbeck, F. (1961). Variations in value orientations. New York: Row Peterson.

    Google Scholar 

  • Korpela, K. (1992). Adolescents favorite places and environmental self-regulation. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 9, 241–256.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kuo, F. E., & Sullivan, W. C. (2001). Environment and crime in the inner city. Environment and Behavior, 33, 343–367.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kuo, F. E., Sullivan, W. C., Coley, R. L., & Brunson, L. (1998). Fertile ground for community: Inner-city neighborhood common spaces. American Journal of Community Psychology, 26(6), 823–851.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Low, S. M., & Altman, I. (1992). Place attachment: A conceptual inquiry. In I. Altman & S. M. Low (Eds.), Place attachment (pp. 1–12). New York: Plenum Press.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Markus, H. R., & Kitayama, S. (1991). Culture and the self: Implications for cognition, emotion and motivation. Psychological Review, 98(2), 224–253.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Massimini, F., & Delle Fave, A. (2000). Individual development in a bio-cultural perspective. American Psychologist, 55(1), 24–33.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Massimini, F., Inghilleri, P., & Delle, F. A. (1996). La selezione psicologica umana: Teoria e metodo d’analisi. Milano: Cooperativa Libraria IULM.

    Google Scholar 

  • Masuda, T., & Nisbett, R. E. (2001). Attending holistically vs. analytically: Comparing the context sensitivity of Japanese and Americans. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 81, 922–934.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Mayer, F. S., & McPherson-Frantz, C. (2004). The connectedness to nature scale: A measure of individuals’ feeling in community with nature. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 24(4), 503–515.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mayer, F. S., McPherson-Frantz, C., Bruehlman-Senecal, E., & Dolliver, K. (2009). Why is nature beneficial?: The role of connectedness to nature. Environment and Behavior, 41(5), 607–643.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Merchant, N. (2003). Reinventing Eden: The fate of nature in western culture. London: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Minteer, B. A., & Manning, R. E. (1999). Pragmatism in environmental ethics: Democracy, pluralism, and the management of nature. Environmental Ethics, 21, 191–208.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mitchell, R. G. (1983). Mountain experience: The psychology and sociology of adventure. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Miyamoto, Y., Nisbett, R. E., & Masuda, T. (2006). Culture and the physical environment: Holistic versus analytic perceptual affordances. Psychological Science, 17, 113–119.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Monod, J. (1970). Le hasard et la nécessité. Paris: Éditions du Seuil.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nabhan, G. P. (1995). Cultural parallax in viewing North American habitats. In M. E. Soulé & G. Lease (Eds.), Reinventing nature?: Responses to postmodern deconstruction (pp. 87–101). Washington: Island Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nash, R. (1967). Wilderness and the American mind. New Haven: Yale University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Prigogine, I. (1976). Order through fluctuation: Self-organization and social system. In E. Jantsch & L. H. Waddington (Eds.), Evolution and consciousness: Human systems in transition (pp. 93–133). Reading: Addison-Wesley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Proshansky, H. M., Fabian, A. K., & Kaminoff, R. (1983). Place identity: Physical social world organization of the self. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 3, 57–83.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Redclift, M. (2003). Sustainability discourses: Human livelihoods and life chances. In C. F. Gethmann & E. Ehlers (Eds.), Environment across cultures (pp. 175–183). Berlin: Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ryan, R. M., & Frederick, C. (1997). On energy, personality, and health: Subjective vitality as a dynamic reflection of well-being. Journal of Personality, 65, 529–566.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ryan, R. M., Weinstein, N., Bernstein, J. H., Brown, K. W., Mistretta, L., & Gagné, M. (2010). Vitalizing effects of being outdoors and in nature. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 30(2), 159–168.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shweder, R. A. (1991). Thinking trough cultures: Expeditions in cultural psychology. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sieferle, P. (2003). The ends of nature. In C. F. Gethmann & E. Ehlers (Eds.), Environment across cultures (pp. 13–28). Berlin: Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Staats, H., Kieviet, A., & Hartig, T. (2003). Where to recover from attentional fatigue: An expectancy-value analysis of environmental preference. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 23, 147–157.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sullivan, W. C., Kuo, F. E., & Depooter, S. F. (2004). The fruit of urban nature. Environment and Behavior, 36(5), 678–700.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ulrich, R. S. (1981). Natural versus urban scenes: Some psychophysiological effects. Environment and Behavior, 13, 523–556.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ulrich, R. S. (1984). View through window may influence recovery from surgery. Science, 224, 420–421.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ulrich, R. S., Simons, R., Losito, B., Fiorito, E., Miles, M., & Zelson, M. (1991). Stress recovery during exposure to natural and urban environments. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 11(3), 201–230.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Von Glasersfeld, E. (1984). An introduction to radical constructivism. In P. Watzlawick (Ed.), The invented reality (pp. 17–40). New York: Norton.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vygotskij, L. S. (1934/1962). Thought and speech. Cambridge: MIT Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wells, N. M. (2000). At home with nature: Effects of greenness on children’s cognitive functioning. Environment and Behavior, 32, 775–795.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Williams, K., & Harvey, D. (2001). Transcendent experience in forest environments. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 21(3), 249–260.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yoon, H. (2003). A preliminary attempt to give a birdseye view on the nature of traditional eastern (Asian) and western (European) environmental ideas. In C. F. Gethmann & E. Ehlers (Eds.), Environment across cultures (pp. 123–142). Berlin: Springer.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Cultural Heritage and Environment, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy

    Nicola Rainisio & Paolo Inghilleri

Authors
  1. Nicola Rainisio
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Paolo Inghilleri
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Nicola Rainisio .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. , Department of Education, Aarhus University, Niels Juels Gade 84, Aarhus, 8000, Denmark

    Hans Henrik Knoop

  2. Dipartimento di Scienze Cliniche Luigi S, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via G.B. Grassi 74, Milano, 20157, Italy

    Antonella Delle Fave

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2013 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Rainisio, N., Inghilleri, P. (2013). Culture, Environmental Psychology, and Well-Being: An Emergent Theoretical Framework. In: Knoop, H., Delle Fave, A. (eds) Well-Being and Cultures. Cross-Cultural Advancements in Positive Psychology, vol 3. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-4611-4_7

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation