Study: Parks Make for Better People

Tom Jacobs details the findings of a study out of France that finds evidence of what researchers call "green altruism"—or people treating each other better after period of immersion in a natural environment.

1 minute read

July 23, 2014, 12:00 PM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell

shock264 / Flickr

"In two experiments, pedestrians who had just strolled through a beautiful park were more likely to come to the aid or a stranger who had just dropped a glove. Writing in the journal Environment and Behavior, Nicolas Guéguen and Jordy Stefan of the University of Bretagne-Sud refer to this as 'green altruism.'"

Of the study's findings, Jacobs adds, "women were more likely than men to be of assistance, and the female research assistants were more likely to receive help than their male counterparts. But the key finding was that 71.9 percent of people who had just emerged from the park warned the assistant of the dropped glove, compared to 55.6 percent of those who were entering the park."

FULL STORY: Be a Better Person: Take a Walk in the Park

Monday, July 21, 2014 in Pacific Standard

Environment Europe Open Space Parks Green Altruism Civility View More

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Get top-rated, practical training

Start Learning

Advertise with us

Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.