Effects of the Living Environment on Activity and Use of Time

Abstract

Exposure to an environment with increased opportunities resulted in increased activity among a group of elderly persons, compared to similar people in unenriched environments. Findings support the hypothesis that unmet need for activity existed among the group, all of whom had been matched to the enriched environment by staff and self-selection, and the hypothesis that environmental intervention is potent in influencing behavior, even in old age. Persistence of the relative elevation in activity over eight years and concomitance with other indexes of well-being suggest that appropriate environmental intervention which expands activity opportunities is beneficial. Congruity between the person's needs and the environment's resources is central. Individual differences in need for activity interacted with opportunity in accounting for outcomes.