Greener, quieter virtual streets linked to greater relaxation in older adults

An experimental study published in BMC Public Health examined how street greenery and traffic density influenced self-reported relaxation among 90 adults aged 65 years or older from Ghent, Belgium. Each participant walked through six virtual street conditions in randomized order, using a 2 × 3 factorial, within-participant design. Researchers analyzed repeated relaxation ratings with a linear mixed model and supplemented the quantitative results with qualitative interviews.

More greenery and lower traffic density were independently associated with greater self-reported relaxation. Quantitative analysis did not show that greenery buffered the adverse effects of traffic, although some participants described such a benefit during interviews. The supplied abstract did not report effect sizes or confidence intervals.

The findings may inform age-friendly urban street design and support the use of virtual reality to investigate environmental experiences in older adults. However, the endpoint was subjective relaxation during simulated street exposure, not a clinical mental health outcome. The study therefore does not establish whether changing real streets would produce sustained reductions in stress or mental health problems.