Colourful and green spaces can help improve social connections, study states
| Mar 7, 2019, 16:30 IST
While not all of us may enjoy taking hikes there is one thing that all people share and that is the love for greenery. When we walk through green spaces, it automatically makes us feel happier and chirpier. And now, a study has found that living in green and colourful spaces can actually improve social connections. People living in such communities were found to have higher levels of happiness, a greater trust of strangers and a better sense of environmental responsibility.
"The urban design interventions we studied are relatively simple and low-cost but show great potential to improve individuals' emotional and social lives. Something as simple as adding greenery to a concrete lane or painting a rainbow crosswalk could help to enrich urban public spaces," the lead author of the research said.
For the study, the participants were taken on walking tours and were asked to complete a questionnaire via a smartphone app at six stops. Two stops included a pair of runways from which one was green and the other was concrete, the other two stops were crosswalks from which one was a zebra crossing and the other was a rainbow, and the last two stops were a pair of green spaces.
Researchers found that people were more inclined to be social in these green spaces and now hope that they can use this information to improve the lives of city folks. Stay tuned for more updates.
"The urban design interventions we studied are relatively simple and low-cost but show great potential to improve individuals' emotional and social lives. Something as simple as adding greenery to a concrete lane or painting a rainbow crosswalk could help to enrich urban public spaces," the lead author of the research said.
For the study, the participants were taken on walking tours and were asked to complete a questionnaire via a smartphone app at six stops. Two stops included a pair of runways from which one was green and the other was concrete, the other two stops were crosswalks from which one was a zebra crossing and the other was a rainbow, and the last two stops were a pair of green spaces.
Researchers found that people were more inclined to be social in these green spaces and now hope that they can use this information to improve the lives of city folks. Stay tuned for more updates.