Profiles of perceived physical features and emotional experiences in favorite places: Discovering ambivalent place preferences

Previous research has proposed that everyday favorite places can be used as restorative niches to support emotional self-regulation and enhance subjective well-being. The study aimed to investigate how perceived physical characteristics of favorite places and emotional experiences in the place form meaningful configurations. Appraisals of favorite place attributes and place-related emotional experiences of Finnish and Hungarian participants (N = 259 and 290, respectively) were collected via online assessment. Joint factor analysis of the favorite place appraisals provided two factors of physical attributes (natural and urban characteristics) and two factors of emotional experiences (self-recovery and distress). Content analytically detected types of favorite places differed meaningfully across the four factors and between the two nationalities. Latent profile analyses of the factors in the two samples yielded four types of person-environment fit in the favorite place in the Finnish and five in the Hungarian sample. Beyond subgroups with restorative place experiences ("self-restoration in nature"), some subgroups showed ambivalent place characteristics. These included "places of distress" and "environments for distress and recovery" at home and in nature. Results indicate a novel phenomenon called "distress-related" or "ambivalent place preference." These results highlight the complexity of environmental self-regulation strategies relating to favorite places and the need for cross-cultural studies and dynamic, process-oriented research approaches. •Favorite place experiences include perceived natural and urban characteristics and emotions of self-recovery and distress.•Latent profile analyses of favorite place experiences found four subgroups in the Finnish and five in the Hungarian sample.•The Finnish sample’s largest groups are ‘Home environment for distress and recovery’; ‘Self-restoration in nature.’•The largest Hungarian subgroups are ‘Natural environment for outward attention’; ‘Urban/built environment for restoration.’•Results indicate a novel phenomenon called "distress-related" or "ambivalent place preference.".