The impact of blue and green spaces on wellbeing: a review of reviews through a positive psychology lens

The impact of blue and green spaces on wellbeing has been universally acknowledged. However, the meaning of “wellbeing” differs depending on the lens through which it is viewed. The current review of reviews considers the impact of blue and green spaces from the positive psychology perspective, which focuses on the gains in psychological outcomes (e.g., optimism, positive affect) instead of a reduction in deficits (e.g., depression, anxiety). Of the 149 systematic review and meta-analysis papers, 17 were included in the current review of reviews. The results highlighted the scarcity of systematic reviews that assess the positive outcomes of blue and green spaces and moderating factors associated with them. The existing systematic reviews identified inconsistent wellbeing frameworks, focused primarily on positive affect as an outcome of engaging in nature and disregarded eudaimonic aspects of wellbeing. Limitations of the current systematic reviews and future directions are discussed along with the implications for practice.