An Environmental Approach To Human Stress And Well Being

The mastery of a variety of biomedical They avoided the self-destruction and dis techniques has led our society to the solu ease that can so readily follow the escalation tion of the problems in environmental con of social disorder in an isolated colony. By trol imposed by space flight. By an unparal following a "code of civility" that may be as leled social cooperative effort, man has much a part of man's biologic inheritance as launched himself successfully on the path of his speech, they established cultures in interplanetary exploration and space travel. which power was exercised with sufficient By a like synthesis of knowledge available to respect to establish a consensus. They fol him, Stone Age man kept a foothold on tiny lowed revered cultural canons, using an Pacific atolls for the better part of a thousand accumulation of rational empiric data from years, despite obliterating hurricanes and social experience to modify and control the inherited biogrammar. This we often fail to limited resources. By combining empiric do. There is growing evidence that it is phys navigational skills, such as the sighting of stars with intuitive feeling for ocean swells iologically possible for the left hemisphere of and other subtle cues, tiny populations were the brain, which deals with logic and lan maintained in communication over vast dis guage, to be cut off from the right hemi tances.

This compilation of papers represents a comprehensive study by scientists and professionals of the effects of stress on health, and possible remedies to the problems arising from stress. The sources of stress considered here include work, transport, waste and general environmental factors. Mental and physical health aspects are considered in detail, in addition to the effects of stress on ageing and well-being. The study of stress in animals, which may well tell us more about stress in humans, is also discussed here. In view of the fact that stress in modern life is one of the major factors affecting human health, the volume represents a timely and valuable contribution to the current debate on community health.

First published in 1994. This volume is devoted to a study of the relationship between stress and health. The aim of this work is to present an account of this complex and difficult problem, without the sensationalism often associated with modern environmental remedies.

In recent years there has been a growing body of evidence from fields such as public health, architecture, ecology, landscape, forestry, psychology, sport science, psychiatry, geography suggesting that nature enhances psychological health and wellbeing. Physical activity in the presence of nature, feelings of connection to nature, engagement with nature, specific environmental features (e.g. therapeutic, water and trees) and images of real and virtual nature have all been posited as important wellbeing facilitators. Thus, the association between natural environments and health outcomes might be more complex than initially understood (Pritchard, Richardson, Sheffield, & Mcewan, 2019). Despite the number of studies showing improvements in psychological health and wellbeing through nature-based physical activities or feelings of connection to nature the exact role and influence of the natural environment in this process is still rather unclear (Brymer, Davids, & Mallabon, 2014; Karmanov & Hamel, 2008). Research is also beginning to consider the importance of individual differences, meaning and the person-environment relationship (Freeman, Akhurst, Bannigan & James, 2016; Freeman & Akhurst, 2015) in the development of wellbeing and health outcomes. Furthermore traditional theoretical notions, such as Biophilia, topophilia, restoration theories and stress reduction theories typically used to interpret findings are also being critiqued. Often one of the main barriers for practitioners is the vast array of theories that claim to effectively explain research findings but that tend to be only partially relevant (e.g. for Physical activity or restoration), focus on the characteristics of the person (e.g. nature relatedness) and only some features of the landscape (e.g. therapeutic landscapes). This special edition therefore brings together cutting edge ideas and research from a wide set of disciplines with the purpose of exploring interdisciplinary or trans-disciplinary approaches to understanding the psychological health and wellbeing benefits of human-nature interactions.

A systematic 1982 on human reactions to five environmental stress factors.

Environmental Health presents the interaction of man and his environment as it affects his physical and mental health as well as social well-being. This book provides a detailed review of man–environment–health interrelationships and a basic background for those working in any environmental health discipline. Organized into 12 chapters, this book begins with an overview of environmental health as the aspect of public health that is concerned with those forms of life, forces, substances, and conditions in the surrounding of man that may exert an influence on man's well-being and health. This text then examines the health hazards associated with certain occupations. Other chapters consider the health aspects of housing and its environment. This book discusses as well the nature of environmental hazards and the relationships of environment and health of man. The final chapter deals with the overall perspective for the planning and management of the environment. This book is a valuable resource for individuals working in the environmental health sciences.