The Relationship between the Restorative Perception of the Environment and the Physiological and Psychological Effects of Different Types of Forests on University Students.

Qiaohui Liu,Xiaoping Wang,Guolin Zhang,Yuqi Liu,Congying An,Yishen Hu,Heng Zhang,Xiaoli Fan,Jinglan Liu

doi:10.3390/ijerph182212224

Abstract

Short-term exposure to a forest environment is beneficial to human physiological and psychological health. However, there is little known about the relationship between the restorative perception of environment and physiological and psychological restoration achieved by experiencing the forest environment. This study evaluated the relationship between the restorative perception of different types of forests and human physiological and psychological effects. A sample of 30 young adult students from Beijing Forestry University was exposed to coniferous, deciduous, and mixed forests as well as an urban site. Restorative perception of the environment was measured using the PRS questionnaire. Restorative effects were measured using physiological indicators (blood pressure and heart rate) and three psychological questionnaires (Restorative Outcome Scale; Subjective Vitality Scale; Warwick–Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale). The results demonstrated the following: (1) There were significant differences in the perceived restorative power of the three types of forests, with the highest level in the mixed forest, followed by the coniferous forest and the deciduous forest. (2) All types of forests were beneficial to physiological and psychological restoration. The mixed forest had the greatest effect in lowering blood pressure and heart rate as well as increasing vitality, while the coniferous forest had the strongest increases in psychological restoration and positive mental health. (3) The level of perceived restorative power of environment was positively related to the physiological and psychological restoration. These findings provide practical evidence for forest therapy that can maximize the restorative potential of forests.

Highlights

IntroductionIndustrialization has greatly promoted the emergence and development of modern cities, and urbanization has further expanded the spatial scope of cities
A one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) analysis revealed that the Perceived Restoration Scale (PRS) scores significantly differed among the four experimental sites (F = 1268.04, p < 0.001)
The mean scores of the PRS were at a higher level in all forest sites compared with that in the urban site, which means that the forest environments were better restorative environments

Summary

Introduction

Industrialization has greatly promoted the emergence and development of modern cities, and urbanization has further expanded the spatial scope of cities. The original natural environment and human settlement environment have undergone drastic changes. Fast-paced urban life, intense competitive pressure, busy work, and separation from the natural environment have become incentives for an increasing number of chronic diseases or mental illnesses such as diabetes, obesity, insomnia, and depression among urban residents [1,2,3]. Studies in growing numbers have confirmed that people can obtain restorative experiences in the natural environment and that there is a proven positive relationship between exposure to nature and health-related well-being [4,5].

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Discussion

Conclusion