Psychological and Physiological Relaxation Induced by Nature-Working with Ornamental Plants

Objective. Nature has a significant impact on general well-being. However, till date, little psychophysiological evidence is available on the benefits of nature-based activities in adults. The primary goal of this study was to determine the physiological and psychological benefits of horticultural a...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Discrete dynamics in nature and society 2020, Vol.2020 (2020), p.1-7
Main Authors: Ziqin, Zhong, Bing-Yang, Lv, Li, Deng, Jiang, Mingyan, Li, Guo, Yinggao, Liu, Qibing, Chen, Hassan, Ahmad, Tao, Jiang, Nian, Li
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adults
Anxiety
Blood pressure
Brain research
Comparative analysis
Control methods
Electric currents
Electrodes
Electroencephalography
Experiments
Flowers & plants
Horticulture
Information technology
Laboratories
Landscape architecture
Mental health
Neurons
Physiology
Stress
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Summary:Objective. Nature has a significant impact on general well-being. However, till date, little psychophysiological evidence is available on the benefits of nature-based activities in adults. The primary goal of this study was to determine the physiological and psychological benefits of horticultural activity in adults. The participants were instructed to perform the making of a flower basket (horticultural activity) and a computer task (i.e., control activity) was compared. Methods. A total of 40 Chinese females (mean age 22.2 ± 0.9 years) participated in this experiment. The Blood pressure, the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), and the electroencephalograms (EEGs) were used to measure the participants’ psychophysiological responses. Results. Analysis of the STAI data showed a lower anxiety score after performing the horticultural activity than after performing the control activity. Furthermore, in the EEG evaluation, variations in the brainwaves were observed after both activities. Conclusions. The study results suggest that horticultural activity induced physiological and psychological relaxation in adults.
ISSN:1026-0226
1607-887X
DOI:10.1155/2020/6784512