Abstract
This study investigated the physiological and psychological therapeutic effects of a digital Shinrin-yoku environment constructed indoors in an urban facility as well as the characteristics of the environment that contribute to restorativeness (restorative traits). We measured the fluctuations in the physical and mental states of 25 subjects by obtaining both before–after measurements and continuous measurements while exposed to a digital Shinrin-yoku environment that reproduced visual, auditory, and olfactory elements. The results demonstrated that the parasympathetic nerve activity was significantly increased and that the heart rate was significantly decreased during the exposure compared with that during the resting state. As for mood, five of the six Profile of Mood States (POMS) scales (“Tension–Anxiety,” “Depression,” “Anger–Hostility,” “Fatigue,” and “Confusion”) were significantly decreased after the experience. In addition, psychological restorative effects were also confirmed, with a significant decrease in “negative affect” (measured using the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS)) and a significant increase in the sense of restorativeness (Restorative Outcome Scale (ROS)) after the experience. In contrast, comparing the digital Shinrin-yoku environment with the actual forest environment and the urban environment using POMS, PANAS, ROS, and Perceived Restorativeness Scale (PRS), the psychological effects and environmental traits of the digital Shinrin-yoku were found to be considerably similar to those of the actual forest environment.
Highlights
The average illuminance in the experimental room is described at rest and when answering the questionnaires as well as when experiencing the digital forest bathing environment
A digital forest bathing environment was constructed in a closed indoor space, and men and women in their twenties to forties were enrolled to experience it
Cross-sectional comparison of the psychological effects and the restorative traits of the environment compared with other settings was conducted by comparing data on urban and forest environments obtained in the past studies
Summary
There have been many studies on indoor and outdoor forest bathing [1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10]. Many review articles have focused on specific measurement indices [11,12,13,14], with some articles providing a reasonably high level of evidence [15,16,17]. Most studies have focused on the effects of nature and forests on physical health, including on improvements in physiological parameters such as blood pressure, autonomic nervous system, and various hormones. Research on improving psychological health, such as depression [18,19] and trauma [20], has increased.
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