Why viewing nature is more fascinating and restorative than viewing buildings: A closer look at perceived complexity |
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| Institution: | 1. Department of Cultural Geography, University of Groningen, The Netherlands;2. Department of Marketing, University of Groningen, The Netherlands;3. Department of Clinical Psychology, VU University, Amsterdam, The Netherlands;1. School of Computer Science, Reykjavik University, Reykjavik, Iceland;2. Institute for Housing and Urban Research, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden;1. Department of Landscape Studies, Key Lab of Ecology and Energy Saving in High-density Human Settlements, College of Architecture and Urban Planning, Tongji University, Shanghai, China;2. Department of Architecture, Center for Health Systems & Design, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA;3. Department of Architecture, Key Lab of Ecology and Energy Saving in High-density Human Settlements, College of Architecture and Urban Planning, Tongji University, Shanghai, China;4. Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, China;1. College of Architecture and Urban Planning, Tongji University, Shanghai, China;2. Department of Horticulture, Faculty of Agriculture, Suez Canal University, Egypt;3. College of Design, Jiaxing University, Jiaxing, China;4. UBC Botanic Garden, Vancouver, Canada;5. Graduate School of Horticulture, Chiba University, 648 Matsudo Matsudo-shi Chiba, 271-8510, Japan |
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| Abstract: | The present paper addresses the question which visual features trigger people’s often more positive affective responses to natural compared to built scenes. Building on notions about visual complexity and fractal geometry, we propose that perceived complexity of magnified scene parts can predict the greater fascinating and restorative qualities of natural versus built scenes. This prediction was tested in an experiment in which 40 participants viewed and rated 40 images of unspectacular natural and built scenes in their original size, and at 400% and 1600% magnification levels. Results showed that the original, unmagnified natural scenes were viewed longer and rated more restorative than built scenes, and that these differences were statistically mediated by the greater perceived complexity of magnified parts of natural scenes. These findings fit with the idea that fractal-like, recursive complexity is an important visual cue underlying the restorative potential of natural and built environments. |
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| Keywords: | Fractal geometry Green space Landscape preferences Viewing time |
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