Human experiences in dense and open woodland; the role of different danger threats

Exposure to non-threatening natural environments promotes human wellbeing by supporting restoration of negative mood and mental fatigue. But many natural environments will harbour a threat at some point in time. Understanding if and how these threats affect human experiences in natural environments is important for land management and human wellbeing. In an on-line experiment participants (n = 300) rated how they would feel in two different types of woodland environments (dense and open) under 5 different conditions (control, an animal threat, a social threat, danger of tripping and falling and of getting lost). All dangers undermined positive experiences in the environment, in particular social dangers. The negative impact of an animal danger or the danger of tripping and falling on reported experiences was greater in dense woodlands. However, participants reported feeling more in control over a social danger in a dense woodland.