Psychological effects of forest environments on healthy adults: Shinrin-yoku (forest-air bathing, walking) as a possible method of stress reduction

Emi, Mitsuru; Fukuda, Sanae; Ni, Jun; Hamajima, Nobuyuki; Yamamoto, Hirokazu; Iwai, Y.; Nakashima, Tamiji; Ohira, Hideki; Shirakawa, Taro

doi:10.1016/j.puhe.2006.05.024

Cited by 349 publications

(266 citation statements)

References 36 publications

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“…Psychological effects of ''Shinrin-yoku'' Morita et al [41] investigated the psychological effects of forest environments with 498 respondents who visited a forest during 4 days of the survey. The survey revealed that the mood of the respondents (hostility, depression, liveliness, and three other positive and negative mood subscales) were significantly improved on the day of the forest visit compared to the control day, when the respondents did not visit a forested area.…”

Section: Field Studies On ''Shinrin-yoku''mentioning

confidence: 99%

Trends in research related to “Shinrin-yoku” (taking in the forest atmosphere or forest bathing) in Japan

Tsunetsugu

Park

Miyazaki

2009

Environ Health Prev Med

317

203

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''Shinrin-yoku'', which can be defined as ''taking in the forest atmosphere or forest bathing'', has been receiving increasing attention in Japan in recent years for its capacity to provide relaxation and reduce stress. Since 2004, the authors of this paper have been involved in an investigation designed to ascertain the physiological effects of ''Shinrin-yoku'' within the framework of the ''Therapeutic Effects of Forests'' project. We have conducted physiological experiments, both in actual forests and in the laboratory, to elucidate the physiological effects on individuals of exposure to the total environment of forests or to only certain elements of this environment, such as the odor of wood, the sound of running stream water, and the scenery of the forest. We have obtained physiological measurements of central nervous activity, autonomic nervous activity, and biomarkers reflecting stress response that can be applied in this line of approach. Using these measurements, we have summarized the separate elements of forests in terms of the five senses. We have also reviewed a selection of field studies and introduced a number of results from ongoing projects as well as those from early studies. Future perspectives are also discussed.

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Section: Field Studies On ''Shinrin-yoku''mentioning

confidence: 99%

Trends in research related to “Shinrin-yoku” (taking in the forest atmosphere or forest bathing) in Japan

Tsunetsugu

Park

Miyazaki

2009

Environ Health Prev Med

317

203

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“…It was found that spending time in a forest can effectively reduce mental stress and alleviate anxiety (Morita et al 2007, Kim et al 2009, Park et al 2011, Ochiai et al 2015, Song et al 2016, Chun et al 2016. This function was recognized as the term of "forest bathing", i.e.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The tree-species-specific effect of forest bathing on perceived anxiety alleviation of young-adults in urban forests

Guan

Wei

et al. 2017

Ann. For. Res.

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He X., Ren Z., An B., 2017. The tree-species-specific effect of forest bathing on perceived anxiety alleviation of young-adults in urban forests. Ann. For. Res. 60(2): 327-341.Abstract. Forest bathing, i.e. spending time in a forest to walk, view and breathe in a forest, can alleviate the mental depression of visitors, but the tree-species-specific effect of this function by the urban forest is unknown. In this study, sixty-nine university students (aged 19-22, male ratio: 38%) were recruited as participants to visit urban forests dominated by birch (Betula platyphylla Suk.), maple (Acer triflorum Komarov) and oak (Quercus mongolica Fisch. ex Ledeb) trees in a park at the center of Changchun City, Northeast China. In the maple forest only the anxiety from study interest was decreased, while the anxiety from employment pressure was alleviated to the most extent in the birch forest. Participants perceived more anxiety from lesson declined in the oak forest than in the birch forest. Body parameters of weight and age were correlated with the anti-anxiety scores. In the oak forest, female participants can perceive more anxiety alleviation than male participants. For university students, forest bathing in our study can promote their study interest. Forest bathing can be more effective to alleviate the anxiety of young adults with greater weight. The birch forest was recommended to be visited by students to alleviate the pressure of employment worry, and the oak forest was recommended to be visited by girls.

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“…A study to evaluate if Shinrin-yoku (a type of Japanese relaxation therapy where walking or staying in the forest is believed to promote health) has psychological benefits and what factors are associated with these benefits, selected 498 participants who were healthy (Morita et al 2007). Surveys were conducted twice in the forest on the same day and twice on the control day and outcomes were measured using the Multiple Mood Scale Short Form and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory.…”

Section: Relaxation Restoration and Stress Reductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Development of an Enhanced Extension Agent Training to Create Butterfly Gardens in Louisiana

Fontenot¹,

Morgan²,

Owings³

2015

Journal of Agricultural and Urban Entomology

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Psychological effects of forest environments on healthy adults: Shinrin-yoku (forest-air bathing, walking) as a possible method of stress reduction

Cited by 349 publications

References 36 publications

Trends in research related to “Shinrin-yoku” (taking in the forest atmosphere or forest bathing) in Japan

Trends in research related to “Shinrin-yoku” (taking in the forest atmosphere or forest bathing) in Japan

The tree-species-specific effect of forest bathing on perceived anxiety alleviation of young-adults in urban forests

The Development of an Enhanced Extension Agent Training to Create Butterfly Gardens in Louisiana

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