Journal article 118 views 58 downloads
Environments and the experience of flow: A scoping review
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AISHA BUURINGEN,
Amy Isham
Journal of Environmental Psychology, Volume: 104, Start page: 102605
Swansea University Authors:
MEGAN CUMMING, Jason Davies , AISHA BUURINGEN, Amy Isham
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© 2025 The Authors. This is an open access article under the CC BY license.
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DOI (Published version): 10.1016/j.jenvp.2025.102605
Abstract
Investigations into the impact of natural and built environments on mental health often place greater emphasis on hedonic experience over other meaningful aspects of human wellbeing such as flow. Psychological flow occurs during episodes of deep immersion in intrinsically motivated activities. Givin...
| Published in: | Journal of Environmental Psychology |
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| ISSN: | 0272-4944 1522-9610 |
| Published: |
Elsevier BV
2025
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| Online Access: |
Check full text
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| URI: | https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa69370 |
| Abstract: |
Investigations into the impact of natural and built environments on mental health often place greater emphasis on hedonic experience over other meaningful aspects of human wellbeing such as flow. Psychological flow occurs during episodes of deep immersion in intrinsically motivated activities. Giving rise to feelings of fulfilment and self-transcendence, it can contribute to both hedonic and eudaimonic wellbeing. Although individual differences and social contexts can enable or inhibit flow, it is not entirely clear how natural and built environments are associated with flow experiences. The objective of this review is to map existing primary research concerning how environments (natural and built) relate to flow experiences. A total of 60 included sources, published between 1975 and the end of 2022, illustrate that flow is not only impacted by the environment, but also connected to place-based meaning. Four themes reflect the type of source findings, highlighting the importance of 1. contact with nature, 2. person-environment fit, 3. aesthetics and 4. relationship to place. Review findings explore areas for future research and potential implications for nature-based interventions. |
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| Item Description: |
Review |
| Keywords: |
Flow experience; Psychological flow; Natural environments; Built environments; Nature contact |
| College: |
Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences |
| Funders: |
This research is part of a PhD funded by the Laudes Foundation, in collaboration with the Centre for the Understanding of Sustainable Prosperity (CUSP). |
| Start Page: |
102605 |