Högskolan i Skövde

Access to nature has been shown to positively impact human health and well-being, reducing stress, anxiety, and depression while increasing relaxation. The Biophilia hypothesis suggests that even brief interactions with natural settings can have beneficial effects, emphasizing the evolutionary importance of our connection with nature and its potential as a tool for health promotion. The aim of this systematic review is to investigate the brain activity during indirect and direct exposure to nature and urban environments. The search was done in Web of Science and MEDLINE EBSCO and 8 articles were identified to fulfill the inclusion criteria, based on,among others, the neuroimaging technique and mode of exposure to nature stimuli. Exposure to nature increases alpha power in the brain, with studies showing increased activity in variousregions such as the left and right prefrontal cortex. Additionally, specific brain regions, like the right orbitofrontal cortex and the right prefrontal cortex, exhibit lower oxy-Hb concentrations when viewing nature compared to urban environments. In sum, exposure to nature elicits changes in brain activity, particularly in alpha wave patterns and oxy-Hb concentrations. The findings support the integration of nature into urban design, highlighting its potential tobenefit public health and well-being, though further research is needed to explore long-term effects and potential applications in healthcare.