This study of the restorative benefits of visiting a house of worship was based on questionnaire responses by 781 participants. Factor analysis of motivations for visiting yielded five factors, three of which matched those from a previous study (spirituality, beauty, and being away) and two new ones (contemplation and obligation). Factor analysis of activities at a house of worship yielded four factors along a gradient corresponding roughly to degree of organized religious practice: rituals, traditional activities, asking, and nonreligious activities. Spirituality and asking (for help or forgiveness) were the strongest predictors of positive outcomes, whereas nonreligious activities predicted negative outcomes. The results support and extend Attention Restoration Theory. They indicate that a house of worship can provide a compatible setting for satisfying a spirituality motive and for the cognitive activity of asking which can aid in conserving and restoring directed attention as well as fostering meditation and reflection.
Berto, R. ( 2005). Exposure to restorative environments helps restore attentional capacity. Journal of Environmental Psychology , 25, 249-259.
2.
Canin, L.H. ( 1992). Psychological restoration among AIDS caregivers: Maintaining self care. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.
3.
Cimprich, B. ( 1993). Development of an intervention to restore attention in cancer patients. Cancer Nursing, 16, 83-92.
4.
Cimprich, B. ( 1999). Pre-treatment symptom distress in women newly diagnosed with breast cancer. Cancer Nursing, 22, 185-194.
5.
Hartig, T., Evans, G.W., Jamner, L.D., Davis, D.S., & Garling, T. ( 2003). Tracking restoration in natural and urban field settings . Journal of Environmental Psychology, 23, 109-123.
6.
Hartig, T., Mang, M., & Evans, G.W. ( 1991). Restorative effects of natural environment experiences . Environment and Behavior, 23, 3-26.
7.
Heintzman, P. ( 2002). A conceptual model of leisure and spiritual wellbeing . Journal of Park and Recreation Administration, 20, 147-169.
8.
Herzog, T.R., Black, A.M., Fountaine, K.A., & Knotts, D.J. ( 1997). Reflection and attentional recovery as distinctive benefits of restorative environments. Journal of Environmental Psychology , 17, 165-170.
9.
Herzog, T.R., & Shier, R.L. ( 2000). Complexity, age, and building preference. Environment and Behavior, 32, 557-575.
10.
Kaplan, R. ( 2001). The nature of the view from home: Psychological benefits . Environment and Behavior, 33, 507-542.
11.
Kaplan, R., & Kaplan, S. ( 1989). The experience of nature: A psychological perspective . New York: Cambridge University Press.
12.
Kaplan, S. ( 1995). The restorative benefits of nature: Toward an integrative framework. Journal of Environmental Psychology , 15, 169-182.
13.
Kaplan, S. ( 2001). Meditation, restoration, and the management of mental fatigue. Environment and Behavior, 33, 480-506.
14.
Kaplan, S., Bardwell, L.V., & Slakter, D.B. ( 1993). The museum as a restorative environment. Environment and Behavior, 25, 725-742.
15.
Kaplan, S., & Kaplan, R. ( 1982). Cognition and environment: Functioning in an uncertain world. New York: Praeger.
16.
Kirkpatrick, L.A., & Hood, R.W. ( 1990). Intrinsic-extrinsic religious orientation: The boon or bane of contemporary psychology of religion? Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 29, 442-462.
17.
Korpella, K.M., Hartig, T., Kaiser, F.G., & Fuhrer, U. ( 2001). Restorative experience and self-regulation in favorite places. Environment and Behavior, 33, 572-589.
18.
Krause, N., & Elison, C.G. ( 2007). Parental religious socialization practices and self esteem in late life. Review of Religious Research, 49, 100-127.
19.
Kuo, F.E. ( 2001). Coping with poverty: Impacts of environment and attention in the inner city. Environment and Behavior, 33, 5-34.
20.
Kuo, F.E., & Sullivan, W.C. (2001). Environment and crime in the inner city: Does vegetation reduce crime? Environment and Behavior, 33, 343-367.
21.
Lasker, A.A. ( 1971). Motivations for attending high holy day services . Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 10, 241-248.
22.
O’Keefe, M. ( 2008). UCLA study: Students become more spiritual in college . Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life. Retrieved May 21, 2008, from http://pewforum.org/events/rss.php?EventID=168
23.
Ouellette, P., Kaplan, R., & Kaplan, S. ( 2005). The monastery as a restorative environment. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 25, 175-188.
24.
Pargament, K.I., Steele, R.E., & Tyler, F.B. ( 1979). Religious participation, religious motivation, and individual psychosocial competence. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 18, 412-419.
25.
Sawkins, J.W., Seaman, P.T., & Williams, H. ( 1997). Church attendance in Great Britain: An ordered logit approach. Applied Economics, 29, 125-134.
26.
Taylor, A.F., Kuo, F.E., & Sullivan, W.C. (2001). Coping with ADD: The surprising connection to green play settings. Environment and Behavior , 33, 54-77.
27.
Taylor, A.F., Kuo, F.E., & Sullivan, W.C. (2002). Views of nature and self-discipline: Evidence from inner-city children. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 22, 49-63.
28.
Tennessen, C.M., & Cimprich, B. ( 1995). Views to nature: Effects on attention. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 15, 77-85.
29.
Wells, N.M. ( 2000). At home with nature: Effects of "greenness" on children’s cognitive functioning. Environment and Behavior , 32, 775-795.
