Providing virtual nature experiences to incarcerated men reduces stress and increases interest in the environment

Humans gain multiple health benef­­­its through contact with the green and blue parts of the world . However, many people do not have access to such places, including more than two million adults who are incarcerated. Building on studies that have shown positive emotional and mood effects when inmates in solitary confinement were exposed to nature videos featuring non-human built environments in their cellblocks, we measured physiological effects of interventions of nature visual imagery and sounds (from forests, mountains, streams, and ocean) on incarcerated adult males.  We documented: 1) stimuli from nature media was able to decrease stress levels as measured by cortisol and GSR levels of stress or proxies for stress levels, 2) mode of delivery (audio vs. visual) differentially influenced some aspects of stress indicators, 3) exposure to nature stimuli evoked interest in learning more about  the depicted habitats, and 4) different habitats elicited different responses. Participants r...