The study “Environmental Self-Regulation in Favourite Places of Finnish and Hungarian Adults” investigates how favourite physical places contribute to individuals’ well-being through environmental self-regulation. It explores the concept that favourite places serve as a mechanism for coping, reflection, and emotion regulation, enhancing subjective well-being. 

With 784 Finnish and Hungarian participants, the research utilized structural equation modelling to examine the relationships between the reasons for visiting favourite places, the consequent experiences, and perceived well-being (life satisfaction and perceived health). 

Findings suggest that favourite places facilitate self-regulation by transforming negative cognitions and emotions into positive ones. However, the study revealed that positive recovery experiences in these places do not directly relate to well-being. Instead, experiences of distress negatively impact life satisfaction and health. 

This research contributes to understanding the psychological benefits of favourite places and underscores the importance of environmental self-regulation in maintaining well-being.

The article defines several key concepts crucial for understanding the relationship between favorite places and well-being through the lens of environmental self-regulation:

• Well-being encompasses both hedonic aspects (happiness, pleasure attainment, and pain avoidance) and eudaimonic aspects (meaning, self-realization, and full functioning).

• Environmental Self-Regulation refers to the process of maintaining a coherent sense of self and emotional balance between pleasure and pain in one’s favorite place, facilitating reflection, emotion regulation, and stress regulation.

• Emotion Regulation involves coping with moods and emotional situations through both internal mechanisms and interactions with the social and physical environment, affecting how one feels over time or in response to specific stimuli.

• Mood and Feelings are distinguished where mood is the core of emotional feelings affecting a person’s subjective state over time, and feelings refer to momentary, short-term emotions triggered by specific reasons or stimuli.