Abstract
Background. In Japan, “Shinrin-yoku” or forest bathing (spending time in forests) is a major practice used for relaxation. However, its effects on promoting human mental health are still under consideration. The objective of this study was to investigate the physiological and psychological relaxation effects of forest walking on adults. Sixty participants (50% males; 50% females) were trained to walk 15-minute predetermined courses in a bamboo forest and a city area (control). The length of the courses was the same to allow comparison of the effects of both environments. Blood pressure and EEG results were measured to assess the physiological responses and the semantic differential method (SDM) and STAI were used to study the psychological responses. Blood pressure was significantly decreased and variation in brain activity was observed in both environments. The results of the two questionnaires indicated that walking in the bamboo forest improves mood and reduces anxiety. Moreover, the mean meditation and attention scores were significantly increased after walking in a bamboo forest. The results of the physiological and psychological measurements indicate the relaxing effects of walking in a bamboo forest on adults.
Highlights
Stress is a main public health concern that is associated with psychological health problems, cardiovascular problems, burnout syndrome, and neurological and immunological diseases [1]
During the 1-minute analysis, most of the high alpha brainwave means values were higher when the participants walked in the bamboo forest than when they walked in the city area (Figure 3(a))
During the 1-minute analysis, most of the high beta means values were higher when the participants walked in the bamboo forest than when they walked in the city area (Figure 3(b))
Summary
Stress is a main public health concern that is associated with psychological health problems, cardiovascular problems, burnout syndrome, and neurological and immunological diseases [1]. Existing healthcare practices are expensive and often emphasize treating stress-related illnesses, instead of stopping them. These findings indicate that stress control is a major factor in maintaining good health and alleviating stress-related disease in urban societies. In “Shinrin-yoku” activities performed in forest environments are used to increase psychophysiological health [14]. A recent study demonstrated that forest walking can increase selfrated health issues and tends to minimize psychological stress in healthy individuals [18]. The objective of this study was to investigate the physiological and psychological relaxation effects of forest walking on adults. The results of the physiological and psychological measurements indicate the relaxing effects of walking in a bamboo forest on adults
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