Purpose
The goal of the proposed project -- a collaboration between the UC Berkeley Psychology Department, the Sierra Club, and the Greater Good Science Center -- is to measure the physical and mental health benefits that people enjoy as a result of their participation in summer rafting programs. The main benefits of this project are threefold. Firstly, using cutting edge science to document the benefits of outdoors programs will help the Sierra Club and the Department of Psychology in their mission to fund further research and provide outdoors programs to more people. The proposed study will yield the kind of “hard” evidence (e.g., biomarkers, longitudinal outcomes) that are of interest to donors who can help grow outdoors programs. Secondly, program participants will have an opportunity to learn about psychological research firsthand: an experience usually reserved for college students. Third, the proposed research will yield the most exciting evidence to date on the health and wellness benefits of being outdoors, and is sure to be published in top tier journals and attract attention from the public.
Overview
Participation in this study will entail filling out short questionnaires before, during, and after the rafting trip. We will assess physical well-being by measuring hormones non-invasively through the collection of small amounts of saliva. Finally, video footage rafting will be collected of people rafting using Go Pro cameras. Members of the research team will be present on each trip to facilitate data collection and answer questions about the study that people may have.
Study Timeline
- Before the trip
Consent forms that fully detail the purpose and procedure of the study will be sent home to families of potential participants. There is a form for parents or guardians to sign and also a form for adolescents to sign. These forms should be brought to the rafting site so they can be collected by the research team.
- Beginning of trip
At the rafting put-in site, before people get into the rafts, participants will complete a short survey (5-10 minutes) asking about topics such as feelings of well-being and stress, quality of sleep, previous experiences in nature, and social connection/friendship. We will also non-invasively collect saliva samples, which we will use to measure cortisol, a hormone linked to physical well-being, and genes related to the neurotransmitter dopamine.
- On the river
During the rafting trip we will be collect video footage of people using Go Pro cameras. These videos will be coded for behaviors such as emotional expression (e.g. triumph, laughing) and teamwork.
- Immediately after the trip
Right after the trip ends at the take-out site we will hand out another survey which asks people to reflect on the thoughts and emotions they experienced during the trip that day. We will also collect a second saliva sample so we can examine how levels of the hormone cortisol changed during the rafting trip.
- One week after the trip
About one week after the trip we will send the link for an online survey to participants. The survey will again ask about people’s feelings of well-being and stress, quality of sleep, and social connection/friendship. This is the final element of the study, and after it is completed we will send participants a $25 gift card as a token of our appreciation for helping us with our research!
Contact
If you have any questions or concerns about the research, you can contact the lead researcher Craig L Anderson at clanderson@berkeley.edu.