large urban survey on biodiversity and mental well-being
Exact: N = 5,895
Perceived biodiversity positively associated with mental health, mediated by restoration and greenspace satisfaction
Using PLS-SEM pathway analyses, the study found that perceived biodiversity improved CESD-10 mental health scores through three mediating mechanisms: perceived psychological restoration, physiological restoration, and satisfaction with greenspace. Empirically measured biodiversity (a composite NDVI-based index) showed no significant relationship with mental health, highlighting the importance of subjective perception over objective measurement.
Relying on a survey in two major cities in China (N = 5,895), this study explored how perceived and empirically measured biodiversity are associate with mental well-being (CESD-10 score) through people's perceived psychological restoration, physiological restoration, and satisfaction with greenspace.
Related findings
park engagement has a stronger total effect on well-being than perceived restorativeness
Park engagement has a significant total effect on psychological health and well-being
Yuanbi Li et al., 2025, Environmental Research
52%
more than half of reviewed studies linked restoration to mental health outcomes
Majority of studies connected psychological restoration to mental health
G. Martinez et al., 2025, Environmental Education Research
study sample of elderly rural residents
Environmental satisfaction and QoL assessed among 144 elderly rural residents
Alisa Nutley, 2025, Journal of Urban Design
Read more in
Healthcare 
Urban Singapore's green mandate, sixty years in
Mandatory greening raises developer costs before it differentiates assets, and the most cited showcase numbers come from the architects themselves.
Housing What an insecure home does to people
Britain abolished no-fault eviction. The evidence reads it as a health intervention, and the market decides who it reaches.
More from The Built Review
Workplace Pricing biophilia: what the evidence is worth
Read at the primary sources, the business case for nature in buildings is narrower than advertised and strong enough to act on.
Healthcare Built to Wake: How Hospital Noise and Light Undermine Patient Sleep
Of the two environmental levers on inpatient sleep, noise control is the better proven and the cheaper, while tunable lighting for the general ward is the one the evidence does not yet support.
Workplace Germany's missing indoor-air bill
France, Britain and Australia have priced bad indoor air. Germany's missing number is a political choice, not a methodological limit.