Form and color visual perception in green exercise: Positive effects on attention, mood, and self-esteem

Abstract

Physical activity performed in a natural environment, especially among green spaces, is associated with mental health benefits. Yet few studies have explored the separable influences of visual perception on the effects of green exercise. The present study assessed the extent to which two components of visual perception (form and color) contributed to mental health benefits by separating the form and color characteristics of an image of a green tree. In total, 76 healthy college students (18–24 years of age) engaged in incremental cycling exercise at a moderate intensity while viewing an image in front of them on a large screen. Participants were randomly assigned to one of four groups in which the image they viewed was a green tree, an achromatic tree, a formless color green, or a formless achromatic color. Before and after cycling (test time), participants’ selective attention, mood state, and self-esteem were assessed using the Perception and Attention Function battery and the Chinese versions of the Profile of Mood States scale and the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, respectively. Significant interactions detected between test time and form perception indicated that scores in total mood disturbance decreased and scores in the esteem subscale and self-esteem scale increased after cycling while viewing trees. A significant interaction between test time and color perception indicated that anger decreased in the two green color conditions. A significant interaction of color perception by form perception by test time was associated with a significant decrease in response times on the attention task after cycling among participants who viewed the green tree. Our findings are important for interpreting mechanisms underlying characteristics attributable to environmental benefits and revealed that single (color or form) or combined (color and form) visual perception improved the mental health benefits of exercise. These findings may also inform the design and planning of urban green spaces to maximize green exercise effects.