Studies suggest that people’s choice of recreation depends on attachment to certain places. Others indicate that recreation in nature restores people from stress. Could it be that during childhood people become more attached to certain types of environments, and are more restored after performing recreation in these environments?

The results are based on a questionnaire sent out at random to 2,000 people in Sweden, and show that people feel more at home in the type of landscape they grew up in, and that this has importance in their choice of recreational setting as well as the recreational activity they choose. An association was also found between people’s levels of stress and how often they take part in recreation in natural settings where they feel most at home.

The phenomenon “feeling at home in certain natural environments” could be an important factor in discussing landscape planning, nature and restoration from stress.