Physiological and Psychological Effects of a Forest Therapy Program on Middle-Aged Females

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health

Hiroko Ochiai⁴  Harumi Ikei¹  Chorong Song¹  Maiko Kobayashi³  Takashi Miura⁵  Takahide Kagawa⁷  Qing Li³  Shigeyoshi Kumeda⁶  Michiko Imai²  Yoshifumi Miyazaki¹ 

[1] Center for Environment, Health and Field Sciences, Chiba University, Chiba 277-0882, Japan;Le Verseau Inc., Tokyo 156-0051, Japan;Department of Hygiene and Public Health, Nippon Medical School, Tokyo 113-8602, Japan;Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, National Hospital Organization, Tokyo Medical Center, Tokyo 152-8902, Japan;Agematsu Town Office Industry & Tourism Department, Nagano 399-5601, Japan;Nagano Prefectural Kiso Hospital, Nagano 397-8555, Japan;Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute, Ibaraki 305-8687, Japan;

关键词: forest therapy program;    middle-aged females;    pulse rate;    salivary cortisol;    semantic differential method;    Profile of Mood State;   

DOI  :  10.3390/ijerph121214984

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

The natural environment is increasingly recognized as an effective counter to urban stress, and “Forest Therapy” has recently attracted attention as a relaxation and stress management activity with demonstrated clinical efficacy. The present study assessed the physiological and psychological effects of a forest therapy program on middle-aged females. Seventeen Japanese females (62.2 ± 9.4 years; mean ± standard deviation) participated in this experiment. Pulse rate, salivary cortisol level, and psychological indices were measured on the day before forest therapy and on the forest therapy day. Pulse rate and salivary cortisol were significantly lower than baseline following forest therapy, indicating that subjects were in a physiologically relaxed state. Subjects reported feeling significantly more “comfortable,” “relaxed,” and “natural” according to the semantic differential (SD) method. The Profile of Mood State (POMS) negative mood subscale score for “tension–anxiety” was significantly lower, while that for “vigor” was significantly higher following forest therapy. Our study revealed that forest therapy elicited a significant (1) decrease in pulse rate, (2) decrease in salivary cortisol levels, (3) increase in positive feelings, and (4) decrease in negative feelings. In conclusion, there are substantial physiological and psychological benefits of forest therapy on middle-aged females.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© 2015 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.