Do well-being benefits from wildlife differ depending on individual differences

Do well-being benefits from wildlife differ depending on individual differences
Image of a robin bird
BSc (Hons) Psychology graduate Gypsie shares detail on her final year research project into wellbeing benefits from wildlife.

? Aims of the research

to investigate how individual differences affect the psychological benefits of wildlife. I wanted to determine whether certain species of birds (robins and pigeons) provide greater well-being benefits than others and how personal experiences shape these effects.

Undertaking the research

My dissertation explored whether individual differences, such as previous experiences and personal interest in wildlife, influence the well-being benefits gained from nature. Specifically, I explored the restorative effects of an environment and whether a person's level of interest and past encounters impact these effects.
I recruited students through SONA and social media. with a total of 116 individuals taking part. They watched three videos simulating different natural environments:
1. Featuring robins
2. Featuring pigeons
3. A control video showing the same environment without birds.
Image of Gypsie at graduation
After watching the videos, participants rated their mood, sense of recovery and willingness to visit the location. They also provided information about their previous experiences with birds and their level of interest in wildlife.
 

Findings

The study found that all conditions provided restorative benefits, but there were significant differences between them. Robins were found to offer similar or greater well-being benefits compared to the control condition, whereas pigeons were associated with significantly lower restorative effects. Additionally participants with a greater interest in wildlife or positive previous encounters with birds experienced enhanced well-being benefits from environments featuring wildlife.

My favourite part of the research has been analysing the data and discovering how different people respond to wildlife. It was fascinating to see how personal experiences an interests influenced the restorative effects of nature! Due to this research project, it has inspired me to choose a career in Environmental Psychology as I enjoyed it so much!

 

Benefits of conducting own research

Conducting independent research allowed me to apply theoretical knowledge to real-world questions, develop critical thinking skills, and gain hands-on experience with research design, data collection and analysis. In particular, as a result of this research, I was successful in applying for an internship with the University and also becoming a research assistant, which has significantly boosted my career.
It allows students to develop essential skills such as problem-solving, data analysis, and academic writing. It also provides valuable experience in conducting psychological experiments, which is beneficial for future research or professional careers in psychology and related fields, not just for me in environmental psychology, but also for other students in any area of psychology they wish to pursue!
Image of nature