Environmental psychology

Environmental psychology is a multidisciplinary social science that examines the relationship between
human beings and our surroundings. It considers how we as people shape our natural world and built
environments – and how those environments shape us in turn.

It’s one of the relatively new subfields of psychology, but it’s not a new concept. It’s common
knowledge that people can find solace in nature. We may feel invigorated and excited – or even
intimidated – in a busy city space. We may feel a strong sense of wellbeing and peace in our personal
space, home, or community.

It was Winston Churchill who famously said “We shape our buildings; thereafter they shape us.” – and
this has only proved more true as we’ve continued to build the world up around us to better suit our
needs and desires.

Environmental design

But environmental psychologists don’t just focus on how our physical environment affects us. In much
the same way that social psychology studies how people are influenced by other people, or ecology
studies the relationships between living organisms and their environments, environmental psychology
also considers how we as people affect the world.

Climate change is a compelling – even alarming – example of how we can impact our environment.
Through our actions as a species, we can see direct and indirect consequences on our climate and
ecosystems.

But this also means we can impact our environment in a positive way, too. Creating green spaces,
sustainable communities, and supporting wildlife to thrive are all interventions that allow us to focus
on sustainability and affect the world around us in a beneficial way.

This is known as environmental design. Through planning, policies, programmes, buildings and
products, we can create spaces that enhance and improve our environment, whether they be natural
environments, physical environments, or even social or cultural environments.

Other popular terms and research topics within the field of environmental psychology include:

• Environmental behaviour: when people make a conscious effort to minimise adverse

impacts on the natural environment.

• Place attachment: the emotional bond that exists between a person and place.

• Restorative environments: environments – typically natural environments – that act almost

as a form of healthcare. They rejuvenate a person and reduce their emotional stress.

• Health psychology: focuses on how biology, psychology, behaviour, and social factors
influence public health and illness.

• Pro-environmental behaviour: human actions that aim to safeguard the environment.

• Organisational psychology: focuses on solutions to human problems in work and other

organisational settings. The APA notes that even ergonomically designed technology and
floor plan layouts are all connected to our physical environment and influence human
behaviour.
 • Architectural psychology: considers the influence of the designed environment on human
experience and behaviour.

Environment psychology utilises quantitative and qualitative research methods, so an environmental

psychology research project could include everything from interviews and data analysis to field studies
and lab experiments.

Noteworthy environmental psychologists

• Stephanie Wilkie is an associate professor in environmental psychology within the University

of Sunderland’s School of Psychology. Her areas of expertise include: links between built and
natural environments, health and wellbeing; urban design and health; green and blue spaces;
home and housing; and the role of places in shaping identities and group memberships.

• Robert Gifford is a professor of psychology and environmental studies in Canada (within the
University of Victoria’s Department of Psychology). His main research areas are in
environmental psychology, social psychology, and personality psychology, and he has worked
on climate change behaviour barriers. He has served as editor in chief for The Journal of
Environmental Psychology and president of the International Association of Applied
Psychology.

• Linda Steg is a professor of environmental psychology in the Netherlands (within the

University of Groningen’s Environmental Psychology Group). Her main research interests
include understanding environmental behaviour, in particular household energy use and car
use, as well as understanding which individual and situational factors affect intrinsic
motivation to act pro-environmentally.

There are a number of theories within the field of environmental psychology.

These include:

Arousal theory

Arousal is a heightening of brain activity, and arousal theory considers how we are aroused by
stimulation and stress within our environments.

For example, imagine you’re on a busy roadside. It’s a hot day, you’re surrounded by crowds of people,
noxious traffic fumes, honking car horns. Physiologically, your heart rate and blood pressure may
increase. Behaviourally, you may start to be less considerate of the people around you.

Arousal theory examines both the positive and negative arousal experienced depending on
environmental factors like these.

Environmental load theory

Environmental load theory suggests that we have a limited ability to handle environmental stimuli, and
that the limit is determined by the amount of information that can be processed by our central nervous
systems.

We’ve all had moments where we feel information overload. Maybe you’ve been scrolling through
Twitter while watching a film, meanwhile, your housemate is having a loud conversation on the phone
in the next room. Soon, you find it hard to focus on any of the things happening in your environment.
 Behaviour constraint theory

Behaviour constraint theory examines the ways in which we may feel powerless when in environments
that are undesirable to us. It suggests that our human behaviour in these situations is learned – that if
we find we cannot control stimuli within our environment, we adopt a level of helplessness and accept
what we cannot change – or perhaps we just leave the environment entirely.

Think about sharing a flat with other people. Maybe one of your flatmates is messy – they never clean
the kitchen or bathroom, they leave dirty dishes and clothes all over the place, and despite speaking
to them about it many times, the flat is still a mess. Behaviour constraint theory suggests you’ll either
come to just accept the mess, or clean it up yourself. Or possibly find a new place to live.

Adaptation level theory

Adaptation level theory suggestions that the way we judge a stimulus is based on our past experiences
and recollections of similar stimuli we’ve encountered.

We all do it – maybe you avoid cats because you were scratched by one as a child. Or maybe you enjoy
going to spas because you’ve found that visiting them has helped to calm and relax you in the past.

Environment stress theory

Environment stress theory tells us that stressors in our environment – for example, pollution and
climate change – affect our physiological and mental health as well as our emotions and behaviours.

For example, think about the rise in Climate Anxiety in the 21st century – not only is climate change
negatively impacting our physical environment and health, it’s also affecting our mental health.

Ecological theory

Ecological theory says that we co-exist with our environments – and that our behaviours exist because
of our environments. In fact, it suggests that there is no greater influence on behaviour than our
environment.

Think about how you might behave at work, or at school, or at a friend’s house. Ecological theory
suggests that it is the place, even more than your personality, that affects how you behave in each of
those environments.

Environmental psychology is fostering a better understanding of human-environment interactions.

Whether you want to improve environmental attitudes – even promote a behaviour change to
encourage more planet-friendly action – or encourage sustainable development so that we can more
efficiently use natural resources, environmental psychology will help you examine how to best achieve
your goals.