Assessing Hearts and Minds in Nature: a Scoping Review and Critical Evaluation of Psychophysiological Approaches

Background Towards the long-term goal of developing a robust empirical basis capable of directly supporting health-promoting urban-planning initiatives, this study reviewed which physiological measures are currently used to assess the mental wellbeing effects of nature-related exposure. Building on this overview, this study then critically evaluated the current methodological and conceptual approaches underpinning this literature. Methods We performed a scoping review of multiple databases for prospective intervention studies assessing the mental wellbeing effects of active or passive nature exposures in both real-world and virtual environments. 102 relevant studies were identified by two blinded researchers following established guidelines. Results The findings point to an emerging and increasingly diverse research field drawing on a wide array of physiological markers to support the restorative potential of natural environments. However, they also underscored substantial challenges and shortfalls concerning the ecological validity, mechanistic grounding and translatability of psychophysiological findings. Conclusions Addressing these drawbacks requires a strategic shift in conceptual and methodological approaches across the field, specifically incorporating innovative urban planning and experimental design concepts, advanced data analysis techniques and a broadening of the scope for anticipated effects through a relaxation of a priori assumptions. We suggest that this paradigm shift will ultimately enable a more effective exploitation of advanced physiological tools for generating ecologically valid and precise in situ wellbeing assessments.