The present study investigated the well-being effects of short-term forest walking and viewing ("forest bathing"). The hypothesis in our study was that both environment (forest vs. urban) and activity (walking and viewing) would influence psychological outcomes. An additional aim was to enhance basic research using several psychological methods. We conducted the experiments using 45 respondents...

Early life stress has been associated with many different negative outcomes including adulthood depression. Studies have suggested a role of the serotonin transporter gene polymorphism (5-HTTLPR) in explaining this relationship. However, consistent replication of this gene-environment interaction have proven difficult. This paper will review contrasting evidence assessing this interaction. Prev...

limited access to financing from venture capitalists. Of this situation, there is widespread evidence and agreement. There is not, however, agreement as to the principal reasons why entrepreneurs in rural areas have difficulty in acquiring equity capital for new business start-ups and expansions. On the one hand, some suggest (e.g., Florida and Kenney, 1988) that few venture capital investments...

In addition to various physical obstacles, the cave environment presents numerous psychological stressors that challenge human explorers. Sources of psychological stress include logistic issues (e.g., limitations to access, communication, and the availability of equipment), a lack of normal sensory stimuli, isolation and confinement, high performance demands, and social conflict associated with...

Parents and adolescents often hold discrepant views about the family environment and these discrepancies may in turn influence adolescents' psychological adjustment. The current study examined how adolescent-parent perceptions of family routines and chaos, and their congruence and incongruence, relate to adolescents' self-reported psychological adjustment (depressive symptoms and perceived stre...

Balancing ecological validity and control in psychological testing is a challenge. We have explored the use of Interactive Virtual Environment Technology to create an environment for psychological testing. Specifically we have created a Cocktail Party World to provide experimental control in the study of the phenomena of ostracism in its various forms. To address ecological validity we have cre...

The notion of "health" as the absence of disease has been replaced by a more holistic view based on the concept of "total wellbeing" and its interrelated physiological, psychological, and social components. This approach has radically changed biomedical research, both in terms of experimental methodology and in addressing ethical issues such as animal welfare. The present work focuses on the en...

The current study explores the perceived quality of life of Syrian refugees who have entered the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. Two hundred and seventy participants residing in refugee camps in the Erbil region in Kurdistan completed the WHOQOL-BREF, which measures Quality of Life (QOL) within four domains; physical, psychological, social relationships and environment. Syrian refugees in Kurdistan s...