Abstract
Urban forests are an important green infrastructure that positively impacts human well-being by improving emotions and reducing psychological stress. Questionnaires have been used frequently to study the influence of forest experiences on mental health; however, they have poor controllability and low accuracy for detecting immediate emotions. This study used the alternative approach of facial reading, detecting the facial expressions of urban forest visitors and their relationships with the landscape metrics. Using the microblogging site, Sina Weibo, we collected facial photos of 2031 people visiting 18 different forest parks across Northern China in 2020. We used satellite imagery analysis to assess the elevation and pattern sizes of green space and blue space areas. Age and location were taken as independent variables affecting facial expressions, which were categorized as happy or sad. With increases in green space and intact park areas, people showed a higher frequency of expressing happy scores. The results showed that the forest experience frequently elicited positive emotions, suggesting that creating and maintaining urban green spaces enhance people’s quality of life.
Highlights
More than half the world’s population lives in urban areas, which studies have shown can negatively affect mental health [1]
This study focused on urban parks, which provide opportunities for urban residents and visitors to engage in physical activity in managed natural settings in cities and enjoy the restorative effects of nature [23]
We found significant differences in the green spaces, blue spaces, park area, and average park elevation among the nine cities (Table 3)
Summary
More than half the world’s population lives in urban areas, which studies have shown can negatively affect mental health [1]. Studies have shown that contact with beauty and nature has physical and mental health benefits, including stress reduction [2,3,4]. People living in forest-rich areas have increased opportunities for stress-reducing experiences in natural settings [6]. Research has shown that while age can affect park visitors’ emotions and forest experiencers [7], comfortable forest environments induce positive emotions and reduce anxiety in young adults [8], middle-aged and elderly visitors, and visitors with dementia [9]. Most previous research has used quantitative physiological measures or qualitative descriptions (e.g., questionnaires, interviews) to analyse urban parks’ effects on mental health. This study tested the objectivity of previous studies’ results by using an alternative measure, facial expressions, detecting the emotional responses of different types of visitors to different urban forest environments
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