Urban Nature Interactions in Daily Life: A Repeated Survey Approach to Perceived Mood and Well-Being

Urban nature is increasingly recognized for its mental health benefits, yet daily patterns of nature interaction—and how specific types and contexts relate to well-being—remain underexplored. We conducted a 7-day repeated-measures study with 200 urban adults in Metro Vancouver, combining daily and baseline surveys to capture fluctuations in nature interactions, mood, and well-being. Participants reported on outdoor and indoor nature contact, enabling analysis of activity types, nature settings, and their relationship to mood and well-being over time. Data were analyzed via daily correlations, cumulative link mixed models for mood change, and a linear regression model for well-being change across the week. Everyday nature interactions were common and generally associated with mood improvement. Two pathways emerged for activity types: higher intensity was linked to short-term mood improvement, while more frequent outdoor contact was associated with positive well-being change across the week. Among outdoor environments, wild nature showed the strongest association with positive mood, though visits were rare and unevenly distributed across demographic groups, pointing to equity concerns. Indoor nature interactions—especially houseplants—were consistently associated with improved mood and well-being. Demographic and access variables showed limited predictive power, suggesting that common measures may oversimplify the complexity and context-dependence of urban nature engagement. Methodological limitations, including broad activity and nature-type categories, a perceived mood attribution measure, and the absence of income data, point to a need for more nuanced assessment of nature interactions and the personal, social, and structural factors that shape them.