g = -0.51
portable digital nature reduces stress
Hedges' g is a standardised effect size, in standard-deviation units
Portable Digital Nature Experience significantly reduces stress
Across 118 effect sizes from 36 randomized controlled trials involving 2,925 participants in 17 countries and regions, portable digital nature experiences (e.g., VR or screen-based nature content) yielded a statistically significant moderate reduction in stress (g = -0.51, 95% CI [-0.73, -0.28], p < .001), suggesting a meaningful benefit for mental health in settings where real nature access is limited.
Results from the three-level meta-analysis indicate that PDNE significantly reduced three common mental health issues, including stress (g = -0.51; 95% CI [-0.73, -0.28]; p < .001), anxiety (g = -0.67; 95% CI [-1.01, -0.33]; p < .001), and depression (g = -0.26; 95% CI [-0.51, -0.01]; p = .044).
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natural park attributes drive most of the model's explanation of wellbeing
Natural attributes of urban green spaces account for 58% of model-attributed contributions to mental well-being
E Cheng et al., 2026, Journal of Environmental Management
sensory bird interaction has the largest indirect mental health effect via restorative perception
Sensory human–bird interaction most strongly boosts mental health indirectly by enhancing restorative environmental perception
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restorative perception partly explains how bird interactions improve mental health
Restorative environmental perception mediates nearly half of the mental health benefit from human–bird interactions
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