The work environment plays a crucial role in the health and performance of employees. The growing interest in workers’ well-being has driven the inclusion of nature in workplaces, despite many employees spending most of their time indoors, away from nature. Studies show that biophilic design in offices can have positive effects and promote workers’ well-being. However, research on the beneficial effects of nature exposure in the workplace is limited and scattered. Thus, the aim of this systematic review was to consolidate current knowledge on the restorative effects of nature exposure on workers during work activities. Different types of exposure, both outdoors and indoors, were considered, with a focus on outcomes related to well-being, motivation, job satisfaction, and work performance. Out of the initially identified 1225 articles, only 16 met the criteria for analysis. Although the analysed studies provided compelling evidence regarding the restorative effects of nature exposure in the workplace, the review also points out gaps and limitations concerning the number of specific studies in this area and the need to adequately assess the sensory dimensions involved in these effects. Conducting more comprehensive and multidimensional investigations into the impacts of nature on the work environment could contribute to guiding more effective design strategies and creating healthier and more productive workplaces for employees.

Recent studies have enlightened the crucial role of perceived robot use self-efficacy in human robot interaction. This paper investigates the interplay between perceived robot use self-efficacy, attitudes towards robots, and beliefs in human nature uniqueness (BHNU) on the intention to work with social robots. Participants (N = 117) first filled out a questionnaire measuring their BHNU and attitudes towards robots. Then, they were randomly exposed to a video displaying a humanoid social robot (either humanlike or mechanical). Finally, participants indicated their robot use self-efficacy and their intention to work with the displayed social robot. Regression and serial mediation analyses showed the following: (1) the intention to work with social robots was significantly predicted by robot use self-efficacy and attitudes towards robots; (2) BHNU has a direct influence on attitudes towards robots and an indirect influence on the intention to work with social robots through attitudes towards robots and robot use self-efficacy. Our findings expand the current research on the impact of perceived robot use self-efficacy on intention to work with social robots. Implications for human robot interaction and human resource management are discussed.

There is an actual trend for humanizing technological artifacts, especially social robots. However, human‐like social robots trigger negative attitudes by threatening human uniqueness as well as humanness. The present paper presents the development of the Belief in Human Nature Uniqueness Scale (BHNUS) to assess the individual tendency to deny social robots the possibility to have human features considered to be the hallmarks of humanness. The validation of the BHNUS was completed along seven studies, with a total of 1044 Portuguese participants. Results showed that BHNUS had good structural qualities (Studies 1 and 2), as well as good convergent and discriminant validities. BHNUS was correlated with negative attitudes towards robots, religiosity, and interest for science fiction (Study 3), attribution of traits of warmth to robots (Study 4), positive and negative emotional appraisal (Study 5), perspective taking (Study 6), and attitudes towards the development of robots with human features (Study 7). The importance of the BHNUS regarding the development of social robots and human–robot interaction is discussed.If you were to insist I was a robot, you might not consider me capable of love in some mystic human sense, but you would not be able to distinguish my reactions from that which you would call love so what difference would it make?Isaac Asimov (1982) in Foundation’s Edge, p. 420

Electoral abstention has emerged as a critical challenge to democratic legitimacy, with rising rates observed globally. For example, in Portugal, the turnout declined from 91.5% in 1975 to 51.4% in 2022. This systematic review synthesizes multidisciplinary literature to identify key determinants of voter nonparticipation and their interactions, aiming to inform adaptive strategies to enhance civic engagement amid social, organizational, and technological changes. Following PRISMA guidelines, we searched five databases (Academic Search Complete, MEDLINE, Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection, PsycINFO, and Web of Science) from 2000 to August 2025 using terms such as “electoral abstention” and “non-voting.” Inclusion criteria prioritized quantitative empirical studies in peer-reviewed journals in English, Portuguese, Spanish, or French, yielding 23 high-quality studies (assessed via MMAT, with scores ≥ 60%) from 13 countries, predominantly the USA and France. Results reveal abstention as a multidimensional phenomenon driven by three interconnected categories: individual factors (e.g., health issues like smoking and mental health trajectories, institutional distrust); institutional factors (e.g., electoral reforms such as biometric registration reducing abstention by up to 50% in local contexts, but with mixed outcomes in voluntary voting systems); and contextual factors (e.g., economic inequalities and urbanization correlating with lower turnout, exacerbated by events like COVID-19). This review underscores the need for integrated public policies addressing these factors to boost participation, particularly among youth and marginalized groups. By framing abstention as an adaptive response to contemporary challenges, this work contributes to the political psychology and democratic reform literature, advocating interdisciplinary approaches to resilient electoral systems.

Electoral abstention is a growing phenomenon in contemporary democracies, raising concerns about the representativeness and legitimacy of elected governments, particularly in Portugal where youth participation remains low. This study explores the heterogeneity of non-voting behavior by comparing insights from voters and non-voters through online focus groups. Employing content analysis on qualitative data from 42 participants, the research identifies distinct non-voter profiles, systemic barriers, and potential pathways to increased participation. Key findings reveal heterogeneous abstainer types—including disbelieving citizens, disinterested youth, pragmatic non-voters, and protest non-voters—driven by distrust, practical obstacles, and insufficient political literacy. Despite non-voting, many express conditional willingness to participate in high-stakes scenarios or following reforms. The study concludes that addressing these barriers requires holistic measures, such as enhanced civic education, technological voting modernization, and improved political representation, to foster trust and democratic engagement. These insights offer actionable recommendations for policymakers to enhance voter turnout and strengthen democratic legitimacy.