Van den Berg, Prof. Agnes

Agnes van den Berg has been Professor by special appointment of Perception and Evaluation of Nature and Landscape since 2012. She specializes in the perception and evaluation of nature and landscapes. Van den Berg studied Experimental Psychology at the UG and gained a PhD in 1999 for her research on individual differences in the evaluation of rough and cultivated nature. She is now one of the pioneers in the perception of nature and health in the Netherlands.

One of van den Berg's chief research outcomes is that nature is more than just an experience, as it impacts our health. A walk in nature, for example, can help to reduce burnout rates, concentration problems and stress symptoms. Yet people don't need to actually go out into the wild to be healed. Even looking at nature through a window has measurable positive effects, regardless of the landscape that one looks at. Also, nature need not necessarily be green: water, sand and bare trees turn out to be effective as well. In addition, it is important that children between eight and twelve years old come into contact with nature so that they learn to appreciate it, if not now then later in life.

Previously in the news

A divide between city and countryside? That depends on who you ask (only in Dutch)
Agnes van den Ber reappointed professor of Experiencing and Valuing Nature and Landscape
Hoe schadelijk is opgroeien in de stad? (only in Dutch)
Groen is gezond (only in Dutch)
Neighbourhood green spaces healthier when easier to access and use

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Publications

2021

van den Berg, A. E., Maas, J., van den Hoven, L., & Tanja-Dijkstra, K. (2021). Greening a Geriatric Ward Reduces Functional Decline in Elderly Patients and is Positively Evaluated by Hospital Staff. Journal of aging and environment, 35(2), 125-144. https://doi.org/10.1080/26892618.2020.1805390

2020

van Dijk-Wesselius, J. E., Hovinga, D., de Koning, M., Maas, J., & van den Berg, A. E. (2021). Parental perspectives on green schoolyards: advantages outweigh disadvantages, but willingness to help is limited. Children's Geographies, 19(2), 145-157. https://doi.org/10.1080/14733285.2020.1751071

Van Dijk-Wesselius, J. E., Berg, van den, A. E., Maas, J., & Hovinga, D. (2020). Green schoolyards as outdoor learning environments: Barriers and solutions as experienced by primary school teachers. Frontiers in Psychology, 10, [2919]. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02919

2019

Tanja-Dijkstra, K., Maas, J., Van Dijk-Wesselius, J., & Berg, van den, A. E. (2019). Children and the natural environment. In L. Steg, & J. I. M. de Groot (Eds.), Environmental psychology: An Introduction (2 ed., pp. 95-103). John Wiley and Sons Ltd. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119241072.ch10

Beute, F., & Berg, van den, A. E. (2019). Seeing the forest through the trees: Contemporary and future avenues of research. In D. Kötte, Q. Li, W. S. Shin, & A. Michalsen (Eds.), The international handbook of forest therapy (pp. 208-219). Cambridge Scholars Publishing.

2018

Berg, van den, A. E., & staats, H. (2018). Environmental psychology. In M. van de Bosch, & W. Bird (Eds.), Oxford Textbook of Nature and Public Health : The role of nature in improving the health of a population (pp. 51-56). (Oxford Textbooks in Public Health). Oxford University Press.

Steg, L., van den Berg, A. E., & Groot, de, J. (2018). Environmental psychology: History, scope and methods. In E. M. Steg, & J. I. M. de Groot (Eds.), Environmental psychology: An introduction (2 ed., pp. 1-12). Wiley-Blackwell. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119241072.ch1

Plazier, P., Weitkamp, G., & Berg, van den, A. E. (2018). Exploring the Adoption of E-Bikes by Different User Groups. Frontiers in Built Environment, 4. https://doi.org/10.3389/fbuil.2018.00047

van Dijk-Wesselius, J. E., Maas, J., Hovinga, D., van Vugt, M., & van den Berg, A. E. (2018). The impact of greening schoolyards on the appreciation, and physical, cognitive and social-emotional well-being of schoolchildren: A prospective intervention study. Landscape and Urban Planning, 180, 15-26. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2018.08.003

2017

Tanja-Dijkstra, K., Berg, van den, A. E., Maas, J., Bloemhof-Haasjes, J., & Van den Berg, H. P. (2017). Chemotherapie in de tuin. Nederlands Tijdschrift voor Oncologie, 14(5), 175-181.

Heise, T. L., Romppel, M., Molnar, S., Buchberger, B., van den Berg, A., Gartlehner, G., & Lhachimi, S. K. (2017). Community gardening, community farming and other local community-based gardening interventions to prevent overweight and obesity in high-income and middle-income countries: protocol for a systematic review. BMJ Open, 7(6), [016237]. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2017-016237

Plazier, P. A., Weitkamp, G., & van den Berg, A. E. (2017). "Cycling was never so easy!" An analysis of e-bike commuters' motives, travel behaviour and experiences using GPS-tracking and interviews. Journal of Transport Geography, 65, 25-34. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2017.09.017

Van den Berg, A. E. (2017). From Green Space to Green Prescriptions: Challenges and Opportunities for Research and Practice. Frontiers in Psychology, 8, [268]. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00268

Zhang, Y., Berg, van den, A. E., van Dijk, T., & Weitkamp, G. (2017). Quality over Quantity: Contribution of Urban Green Space to Neighborhood Satisfaction. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 14(5), [535]. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph14050535

Plazier, P., Weitkamp, G., & Berg, van den, A. E. (2017). The potential for e-biking among the younger population: a study of Dutch students. Travel Behaviour and Society, 8, 37–45. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tbs.2017.04.007

2016

van den Berg, A. E., Wesselius, J. E., Maas, J., & Tanja-Dijkstra, K. (2017). Green Walls for a Restorative Classroom Environment: A Controlled Evaluation Study. Environment and Behavior, 49(7), 791-813. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013916516667976

Plazier, P., van den Berg, A. E., & Weitkamp, G. (2016). Commuting by e-bike: a mixed methods approach. Abstract from RGS-IBG Conference, London, United Kingdom.

Berg, van den, A., Joye, Y., & Koole, S. L. (2016). Why viewing nature is more fascinating and restorative than viewing buildings: A closer look at perceived complexity. Urban Forestry & Urban Greening, 20, 397-401. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ufug.2016.10.011

2015

van den Berg, M., Maas, J., Mulder, R., Braun, A., Kaandorp, W., van Lien, R., van Poppel, M., van Mechelen, W., & van den Berg, A. (2015). Autonomic nervous system responses to viewing green and built settings: differentiating between sympathetic and parasympathetic activity. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 12(12), 15860-15874. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph121215026

Zhang, Y., van Dijk, T., Tang, J., & van den Berg, A. (2015). Green Space Attachment and Health: A Comparative Study in Two Urban Neighborhoods. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 12(11), 14342-14363. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph121114342

van den Berg, A., & van den Berg, M. (2015). Health benefits of plants and green space: Establishing the evidence base. Acta Horticulturae, 1093, 19-30. https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2015.1093.1

van den Berg, A. (2015). Mens en natuur hebben elkaar en ruimte nodig. Sociale Vraagstukken.

2014

Berg, van den, A. (2014). De tuin: een krachtige multivitamine G. Tuinjournaal, 31(3), 8-9.

Van den Berg, A. E., Jorgensen, A., & Wilson, E. R. (2014). Evaluating restoration in urban green spaces: Does setting type make a difference? Landscape and Urban Planning, 127, 173-181. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2014.04.012

2013

Konijnendijk, C., & van den Berg, A. (2013). Ambivalence towards nature and natural landscapes. In E. M. Steg, A. E. van den Berg, & J. de Groot (Eds.), Environmental Psychology: An introduction (pp. 67-76). Blackwell Publishing.

Berg, van den, A. E. (2013). De waarde van de natuur. Skipr Magazine.

van den Berg, A., Joye, J., & de Vries, S. (2013). Health benefits of nature. In E. M. Steg, A. E. van den Berg, & J. de Groot (Eds.), Environmental Psychology: An introduction (pp. 47-56). Blackwell Publishing.

Joye, J., & van den Berg, A. (2013). Restorative environments. In E. M. Steg, A. E. van den Berg, & J. de Groot (Eds.), Environmental Psychology: An Introduction (pp. 57-66). Blackwell Publishing.

2012

van den Berg, A. E., & Steg, L. (2012). Conclusion: Summary, trends and future perspectives in environmental psychology. In LI. Steg, A. E. van den Berg, & J. I. M. de Groot (Eds.), Environmental Psychology: An introduction (pp. 303-314). (BPS textbooks in psychology). Wiley-Blackwell.

Steg, L., van den Berg, A. E., & de Groot, J. I. M. (2012). Environmental psychology: History, scope and methods. In E. M. Steg, A. E. van den Berg, & J. de Groot (Eds.), Environmental Psychology: An introduction (1 ed., pp. 1-12). Wiley-Blackwell.

Steg, L., van den Berg, A. E., & de Groot, J. I. M. (Eds.) (2012). Environmental psychology: An introduction. Wiley-Blackwell.

Weitkamp, G., Van den Berg, A. E., Bregt, A. K., & Van Lammeren, R. J. A. (2012). Evaluation by policy makers of a procedure to describe perceived landscape openness. Journal of Environmental Management, 95(1), 17-28. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2011.09.022

Groenewegen, P. P., van den Berg, A., Maas, J., Verheij, R., & de Vries, S. (2012). Is a green residential environment better for health? If so, why? Annals of the Association of American Geographers, 102(5), 996-1003. https://doi.org/10.1080/00045608.2012.674899

2011

van den Berg, A. E., & van den Berg, C. G. (2011). A comparison of children with ADHD in a natural and built setting. Child: Care, Health and Development, 37(3), 430-439. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2214.2010.01172.x

Van Den Berg, A. E., & Custers, M. H. G. (2011). Gardening Promotes Neuroendocrine and Affective Restoration from Stress. Journal of Health Psychology, 16(1), 3-11. https://doi.org/10.1177/1359105310365577

Joye, Y., & van den Berg, A. (2011). Is love for green in our genes? A critical analysis of evolutionary assumptions in restorative environments research. Urban Forestry & Urban Greening, 10(4), 261-268. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ufug.2011.07.004

2010

van den Berg, A. E., van Winsum-Westra, M., de Vries, S., & van Dillen, S. M. E. (2010). Allotment gardening and health: a comparative survey among allotment gardeners and their neighbors without an allotment. Environmental health, 9, [74]. https://doi.org/10.1186/1476-069X-9-74

van den Berg, A. E., Maas, J., Verheij, R. A., & Groenewegen, P. P. (2010). Green space as a buffer between stressful life events and health. Social Science & Medicine, 70(8), 1203-1210. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2010.01.002

van den Berg, A. E., & van Winsum-Westra, M. (2010). Manicured, romantic, or wild? The relation between need for structure and preferences for garden styles. Urban Forestry & Urban Greening, 9(3), 179-186. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ufug.2010.01.006

2007

van den Berg, A. E., Hartig, T., & Staats, H. (2007). Preference for nature in urbanized societies: Stress, restoration, and the pursuit of sustainability. Journal of Social Issues, 63(1), 79-96.

Weitkamp, G., Bregt, A., Lammeren, R. V., & Berg, A. V. D. (2007). Three Sampling Methods for Visibility Measures of Landscape Perception. In S. Winter, M. Duckham, L. Kulik, & B. Kuipers (Eds.), COSIT 2007 (Vol. LNCS 4736, pp. 268-284). Springer.

2006

Van den Berg, A. E., & Koole, S. L. (2006). New wilderness in the Netherlands: An investigation of visual preferences for nature development landscapes. Landscape and Urban Planning, 78(4), 362-372. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2005.11.006

Groenewegen, P. P., Berg, A. E. V. D., Vries, S. D., & Verheij, R. A. (2006). Vitamin G: effects of green space on health, well-being, and social safety. BMC Public Health, 6, 149. https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2458-6-149

2005

ter Heijne, M., & van den Berg, A. (2005). Fear versus fascination: An exploration of emotional responses to natural threats. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 25(3), 261-272. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2005.08.004

Koole, SL., & van den Berg, A. (2005). Lost in the wilderness: Terror management, action orientation, and nature evaluation. Journal of personality and social psychology, 88(6), 1014-1028.

2003

Koole, S. L., van der Wulp, N. Y., & van den Berg, A. E. (2003). Environmental preference and restoration: (How) are they related? Journal of Environmental Psychology, 23(2), 135-146. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0272-4944(02)00111-1

2001

Koole, S. L., Jager, W., van den Berg, A. E., Vlek, C. A. J., & Hofstee, W. K. B. (2001). On the social nature of personality: Effects of extraversion, agreeableness, and feedback about collective resource use on cooperation in a resource dilemma. Personality and social psychology bulletin, 27(3), 289-301. https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167201273003

1999

Berg, A. E. V. D. (1999). Individual differences in the aesthetic evaluation of natural landscapes. s.n.

Van Yperen, N. W., van den Berg, A. E., & Willering, M. C. (1999). Towards a better understanding of the link between participation in decision-making and organizational citizenship behaviour: A multilevel analysis. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 72, 377-392.

1998

van den Berg, A. E., Vlek, CAJ., & Coeterier, JF. (1998). Group differences in the aesthetic evaluation of nature development plans: A multilevel approach. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 18(2), 141-157. https://doi.org/10.1006/jevp.1998.0080

van den Berg, AE., & Vlek, CAJ. (1998). The influence of planned-change context on the evaluation of natural landscapes. Landscape and Urban Planning, 43(1-3), 1-10.

1996

Van der Zee, K. I., Buunk, A., Wheeler, L., Sanderman, R., & van den Berg, A. E. (1996). A comparison of two multidimensional measures of health status: A diary study on naturally occurring social comparison processes among patients with Hodgkin an Non-Hodgkin's disease. Psycho-oncology, 5/2, 204 - 204.

van den Berg, A. E., Coeterier, J. F., & Vlek, C. A. J. (1996). Hoe mooi is de ruige natuur? Landschap, 13/4, 285 - 297.

1995

van den Berg, A. E., Coeterier, J. F., Dijkstra, H. T., van der Pligt, J., & Vlek, C. A. J. (1995). De waargenomen kwaliteit van landschapsveranderingen. Staring Centrum Dienst Landbouwkundig Onderzoek.

van den Berg, A. E. (1995). Een goed initiatief, maar niet in onze wijk! Een veldonderzoek naar de attitude ten aanzien van methadon-verstrekking en de effekten van overredende communicatie. In B. van der Moolen, & H. Voogd (Eds.), Niet in mijn achtertuin, maar waar dan? Het NIMBY-verschijnsel in de ruimtelijke planning. (pp. 130 - 140). Samsom.

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14 March 2023 09.10 a.m.

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