IJERPH, Vol. 18, Pages 10076: The Role of Social Context in Physiological and Psychological Restoration in a Forest: Case Study of a Guided Forest Therapy Program in Taiwan

IJERPH, Vol. 18, Pages 10076: The Role of Social Context in Physiological and Psychological Restoration in a Forest: Case Study of a Guided Forest Therapy Program in Taiwan International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health doi: 10.3390/ijerph181910076 Authors: Chia-Pin Yu Heng-Ting Chen Pei-Hua Chao Jie Yin Ming-Jer Tsai Existing studies have demonstrated the restorative benefits of being in forests. However, most studies have designed participants to engage individually in forest walking and viewing, which neglects the social aspect of conversation. Researchers suggested that social context should be studied in order to have a better understanding how forests foster human health. To this end, we examined the role of social context using three types of forest therapy programs: a guided program, a self-guided program, and a walk alone program. A between-subject, pretest–posttest field experimental design was employed to evaluate restorative effects by measuring the physiological responses and mood states incurred in different forest therapy programs. Our findings showed, that the walk alone group exhibited a significant systolic blood pressure decrease and a significant increase in sympathetic nervous activity; the self-guided group showed a significant increase in heart rate values and significant decreases in systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure; and the guided group revealed a significant decrease in systolic blood pressure....
Source: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health - Category: Environmental Health Authors: Tags: Article Source Type: research