Print Page

Positive Impact of Tranquil Scenes on the Brain

Published: 2010/09/14 - Updated: 2016/03/20
Author: University of Sheffield
Peer-Reviewed: N/A
Related Papers: Latest - Complete List

On This Page: Summary - Main Article

Synopsis: Tranquil living environments can positively affect the human brain function.

Study shows tranquil scenes have positive impact on brain - Tranquil living environments can positively affect the human brain function, according to researchers at the University of Sheffield.

advertisement

Main Digest

Study shows tranquil scenes have positive impact on brain - Tranquil living environments can positively affect the human brain function, according to researchers at the University of Sheffield.

The research, which was published in the journal NeuroImage, uses functional brain imaging to assess how the environment impacts upon our brain functions.

The findings demonstrated that tranquil environmental scenes containing natural features, such as the sea, cause distinct brain areas to become connected with one another whilst man-made environments, such as motorways, disrupt the brain connections.

The research involved academics from the University's Academic Unit of Clinical Psychiatry, Academic Radiology and the School of Architecture, along with the School of Engineering, Design and Technology at the University of Bradford and the Institute of Medicine and Neuroscience at Julich, Germany.

The team carried out functional brain scanning at the University of Sheffield to examine brain activity when people were presented with images of tranquil beach scenes and non-tranquil motorway scenes.

They utilized the fact that waves breaking on a beach and traffic moving on a motorway produce a similar sound, perceived as a constant roar, and presented the participants with images of tranquil beach scenes and non-tranquil motorway scenes while they listened to the same sound associated with both scenes.

Using brain scanning that measures brain activity they showed that the natural, tranquil scenes caused different brain areas to become connected with one another - indicating that these brain regions were working in sync. However, the non-tranquil motorway scenes disrupted connections within the brain.

Dr Michael Hunter, from the Sheffield Cognition and Neuroimaging Laboratory (SCANLab) based in Academic Clinical Psychiatry within the University of Sheffield's Department of Neuroscience, said:

"People experience tranquility as a state of calmness and reflection, which is restorative compared with the stressful effects of sustained attention in day-to-day life. It is well known that natural environments induce feelings of tranquility whereas man-made, urban environments are experienced as non-tranquil. We wanted to understand how the brain works when it perceives natural environments, so we can measure its experience of tranquility."

Professor Peter Woodruff, from SCANLab, said:

"This work may have implications for the design of more tranquil public spaces and buildings, including hospitals, because it provides a way of measuring the impact of environmental and architectural features on people's psychological state. The project was a real collaborative effort, bringing together researchers from Psychiatry, Radiology and Architecture at the University of Sheffield, as well as Engineering at the University of Bradford and the Institute of Medicine and Neuroscience at Julich, Germany."

Full article:

Hunter, M.D., Eickhoff, S.B, Pheasant, R.J., Douglas, M.J., Watts, G.R., Farrow, T.F.D., Hyland, D., Kang, J, Wilkinson, I.D., Horoshenkov, K.V., Woodruff, P.W.R, The state of tranquility: Subjective perception is shaped by contextual modulation of auditory connectivity, NeuroImage 2010; 53: 611-618, doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2010.06.053

Share This Information To:
𝕏.com Facebook Reddit

Discover Related Topics:

advertisement

Information, Citing and Disclaimer

Disabled World is an independent disability community founded in 2004 to provide disability news and information to people with disabilities, seniors, their family and/or carers. See our homepage for informative reviews, exclusive stories and how-tos. You can connect with us on social media such as X.com and our Facebook page.


Permalink: <a href="https://www.disabled-world.com/medical/alternative/hypnotherapy/tranquil-scenes.php">Positive Impact of Tranquil Scenes on the Brain</a>


Cite This Page (APA): University of Sheffield. (2010, September 14). Positive Impact of Tranquil Scenes on the Brain. Disabled World. Retrieved October 4, 2023 from www.disabled-world.com/medical/alternative/hypnotherapy/tranquil-scenes.php

Disabled World provides general information only. The materials presented are never meant to substitute for qualified professional medical care, nor should they be construed as such. Funding is derived from advertisements or referral programs. Any 3rd party offering or advertising does not constitute an endorsement.