Environmental psychology is the subdiscipline of psychology that studies psychological processes such as mood and behavior between people and the natural environment. Using this concept, we analyzed people’s behavior in two different locations: one more busy, high transited area just at the entrance of prospect park near the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Arch, and one more calm, less transited area inside the park.

Our main objective with this research project, was to get people to interact with us so we could get information out of them. We did accomplish this thanks to a combination of effective use of media and strategic location within the area.

The first area was very transited due to the fact that there are so many streets meeting at this point which leads to more air and noise pollution increasing stress levels. The second location, just after going through the Endale arch we got exactly the opposite reaction. People were more emphatic, relaxed, and willing to interact with us. We believe this happened because inside the park there was less traffic noise, less air pollution, presence of more green infrastructure (meaning more plants and trees) which helps to filter air pollution and decreases stress level improving people’s mood and mental health.

After reading our final results, we reached to the conclusion that, in terms of environmental psychology, that people are more likely to interact with us in an environment that is calmer, and less polluted, because it improves their overall mood. Therefore, the implementation of green infrastructure such as parks are vital to improve the health and mental well-being of local communities.