Not everyone finds nature relaxing: new research

New research seems to shed light on what some have long argued- that not everyone finds nature relaxing. In a recent paper in The Society for Consumer Psychology lead authors Kevin P. Newman and Merrie Brucks found that neurotic people tended to find stressful situations- like bustling traffic and street noise- more calming than scenes of nature.  The thinking is that the environment mirrors their chaotic, stressed thinking, rather than being the opposite. There is even some suggestion that different personality types are drawn to different environments, and that these mimic stereotypes in the U.S. (such as relaxed Southerners and uptight northeasterners). However, as other posts on this blog have argued, not all nature is relaxing, and not all urban experiences are stressful (think being lost in a dark wood versus sitting in a sidewalk cafe on a bustling, tree-lined pedestrian street). To read more click here, and to see the original article click here.