Abstract
This study was designed to assess the physiological and psychological benefits of visually looking at foliage plants in adults. This study involved 30 adults in their 20s (11 males, 19 females), and using a crossover design, participants looked at four different types of visual stimuli, namely, real plants, artificial plants, a photograph of plants, and no plants for 5 min. Brain waves were measured while viewing each type of plant, and a subjective evaluation of emotions was performed after each visual stimulus. Semantic differential methods (SDM) and Profile of Mood States (POMS) were used for the subjective evaluation. During the real plant visual stimulation, relative theta (RT) power spectrum was increased in the bilateral occipital lobes, while relative high beta (RHB) power spectrum was reduced in the left occipital lobe, indicating a reduction in stress, anxiety, and tension. The subjective survey results revealed that when looking at real plants, the participants exhibited significantly higher “comfort,” “natural,” and “relaxed” scores as well as an increase in positive mood conditions. In conclusion, among the four types of plants, visual stimulation with real plants induces physiological relaxation in adults and has a positive psychological effect.
Highlights
The relative high beta (RHB) power spectrum was significantly lower in the left occipital lobe when participants were looking at the real plant (p < 0.05)
An evaluation of Semantic differential method (SDM) based on visual stimulation of green plants showed signifiAn evaluation of SDM
We found that relative theta (RT) power spectrum was significantly increased in the occipital lobe and that the RHB power spectrum was significantly decreased when the participants looked at real plants (Table 3)
Summary
The Effects of Natural Environment on Human Psychophysiology. Modern urbanized societies are isolating people from their natural environment and reducing contact with nature [1]. On the other hand, provides social and psychological benefits, improves human quality of life, promotes positive feeling, and accelerates physiological recovery [3,4]. The quality of urban environments contributes to human health and well-being, and the incorporation of nature into urban environments helps individuals cope with negative moods and stress [5,6]. Cohen [7] argues that modern people prefer the natural environment to that of urban ones as an escape from the overload of modern society, and that psychological recovery can be achieved through exposure to the natural environment. The Savannah theory [8] further supports this idea, suggesting that humans instinctively prefer nature
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