Healthy (and not so healthy) spaces: the importance of psycho-social variables

Abstract

Health promotion strategies often focus on changing individual behavior. However, a growing literature shows that there is an important part of our physical and mental health status that is dependent on the space we live. In this paper we analyze research that illustrates both the negative impacts of the environment (e.g., noise, air pollution) and the positive ones (e.g., contact with nature). Based on studies conducted in Portugal, we present evidences of the negative psychological consequences of exposure to air pollution or to living close to an incinerator, and the positive consequences of living near the forest or walking in the nature. The paper also stresses the importance of social psychological variables that allow us to understand this process, including mediators (e.g., environmental annoyance, outdoor behaviors) and moderators (e.g., risk perception, local identity). In a whole, the paper tries to illustrate how the consideration of objective and subjective factors associated with the environment may influence key health outcomes.