PhD defence: Effects of Urban, Natural, and Digital Environments on Physical Activity and Wellbeing

Addressing methodological issues in restorative environments research

Luca Laezza

PhD thesis

PhD candidate Luca Laezza will defend his thesis on the health-promoting effects of physical activity in natural environments —known as green exercise. The research combines psychological, physiological, and environmental perspectives to explore how nature-based movement supports stress recovery, emotional well-being, and adaptive functioning.

The thesis includes a comprehensive review of current green exercise literature and two experimental studies. Findings show that exercising in natural settings significantly reduces stress, boosts heart rate variability, and improves mood compared to urban or indoor environments. Remarkably, the studies also suggest that nature can buffer the negative effects of physical stressors such as oxygen deprivation.

These results underscore the restorative and resilience-building potential of nature-based physical activity and support its integration into public health and urban planning strategies. The defense promises valuable insights for anyone interested in psychology, health, and sustainable well-being.

2025, 156 pages.

To request a copy of the thesis: Luca Laezza luca.laezza@univr.it

Time

11 July 2025, 13:00

Place

Sala Seminari 3, Chiostro di S. Maria della Vittoria, Lungadige Porta Vittoria, 41 – 37129 Verona, Italy

Online: https://univr.zoom.us/j/98071685684?pwd=G9cAZClF9agw0ijOIEOaG5IatJGyuN.1

Passcode: 662243

Instructions if you wish to attend the defence via the digital solution: Please follow the link and hereafter the instructions to download the required -client. If the -client is incompatible with your pc, smartphone etc. you can attend via an Internet browser. Log-in in due time before to allow time to install the client.

Assessment committee

Professor Faidon Magkos (Chair), Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports, University of Copenhagen, Denmark.

Professor Margherita Pasini, Department of Human Sciences, University of Verona, Verona, Italy.

Professor Victor J. Rubio, Department of Biological and Health Psychology, Universidad Autonoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain.

Supervisor

Associate Professor Stefano De Dominicis, Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports, University of Copenhagen, Denmark.