Word 'environment' refers to all that is around us. Literally, it means everything that surrounds us including the physical, Social world and cultural environment. In general, it includes all the forces outside the human beings to which they respond in some way.

A psychologist named Stokols proposed three approaches to describe human-environment relationship:

(i) The Minimalist Perspective: This view assumes that physical environment has negligible influence on human behaviour. Both run parallel to each other.

(ii) The Instrumental Perspective: According to this approach, environment is simply provider. It is for the comfort of us. Human beings can use the environment as per their needs.

(iii) The Spiritual Perspective: It refers to the view of the environment as something to be respected and valued rather than exploited. Physical environment and human relationship are interdependent. The traditional Indian view about the environment supports spiritual perspective, worshipping Pipal, respect for rivers and mountains. Chipko Aandolan and movement by Bisnoi Community are examples of Indian perspective.

Some of the significant influences are as follows :

(a) Environmental Influence on Perception: According to researches, our perception is influenced by the environment in which we live. For example. Tribal societies of Africa living in Circular huts show less error in a geometric illusion (the Muller Lyer illusion) than people from cities, living in houses with angular walls.

(b) Environmental Influence on Emotions: For example, watching quietly flowing river, a smiling flowers or a tranquil mountain top provides joy and happiness.

• Natural disasters, landslides can provide deep depression and sorrow, lack of control over their lives.

• Such an influence is traumatic, changes people's lives forever, and can last for a long time after the actual event in the form of post-traumatic stress disorder.

(c) Ecological Influence on Occupation, Living style and Attitudes:

(i) The natural environment of a particular region determines the people living in that region will develop what type of societies—may be agricultural or may be industrial.

(ii) In turn, the occupation determines the life-style and attitudes of the residents of a particular geographical region.

Human behaviour particularly influencing on the environment in negative manner. Following are the environmental stressors which effect human beings, although many are created by human beings themselves.

1. Pollution:

(a) Air-pollution: Emission of toxic gases due to automobile and industrial emissions cause adverse effect on the health.

– Air-pollution reduces visibility and leads to eye irritation, headache, fatigue, occurrence of cancer of respiratory system.

(b) Noise or sound pollution: Any sound which an individual finds unpleasant in a particular situation is considered noise or sound-pollution. Noise (sound pollution) leads to adverse psychological effects. It may leads to high level of stress, narrowing of attention, decrease in concentration, etc.

(c) Water-pollution: Various problems related to digestive system and gastrointestinal issues occur due to water-pollution.

2. Noise

Any unpleasant, irritating or interfering sound is called as Noise.

– Noise is an environmental stressor which may affect adversely depending on—

(a) Predictability

(b) Controllability

(c) Intensity

3. Crowding and Density:

• Crowding is the subjective feeling of crampedness or being too close to each other. It has negative effects on task performance, personality, interpersonal relationship, general physical and mental health.

• Density is an objective geographical term which refers to number of persons living within the available space, or per square meter area.

4. Natural and Man-made Disasters:

Natural disasters are earthquake, volcanic eruption, windstorm, tornado, cyclone, famine etc.

– There are man-made disasters also; like Bhopal gas tragedy and nuclear bomb explosion in Japan, which not only caused extensive damage to property and physical environment but also had long-term effects on the lives of people.

– Man is largely responsible for regarding the quality of environment that surrounds us. Almost everything humans do has small but cumulative effects on the environment in which we live. e.g., driving a car, using a hair spray use of refrigerator, etc.