​​​​​​​Why Some People Find Crowded Cities Relaxing—And Others Don't

Nature is frequently prescribed as a way for anxious folks to soothe their elevated emotions. Over at The Atlantic, James Hamblin has written about the rise of eco-therapy: doctors endorsing the healing effects of spending time outdoors. But the mentality applies more casually, too: Feeling stressed at work? Go take a walk! Getting overwhelmed by the daily crunch of urban life? Escape to nature on the weekends! The thinking goes that surrounding yourself by the relative silence and greenery of nature blankets you with a meditative sense of calm. But turning to the noise, crowds, and smog of an urban environment for comfort? Take a hike.

However, a recent paper published in The Society for Consumer Psychology suggests that the restorative qualities of nature might be overblown, and that certain people might find lush trees, chirping birds, and blue skies anything but zen-like. Kevin P. Newman, an assistant professor of marketing at Providence College, and his co-author Merrie Brucks, a marketing professor at the University of Arizona, teamed up to explore whether people who tend to be more neurotic might actually find relief from the very source of their racing thoughts and buzzing brain.