Windows have been found to be a particularly salient feature of the workplace, not only as a matter of preference but also for health and well-being. Depending on what is in the view, looking out of the window may provide numerous opportunities for restoration. This study investigated the effect of window views on job satisfaction and stress. The impact of two specific influencing mechanisms was examined: existence of forest views through windows in workplaces, and absence of forest views through windows in workplaces. The sample consisted of 931 office workers in Seoul, South Korea, 481 who could see forest views from their workplaces and 450 who could not see forest views. A set of self-administered questionnaires including job satisfaction and job stress measures was distributed to the sample from April to September 2004. The results showed a significant direct effect of forest views from windows on job satisfaction and stress. Respondents’ personal information such as gender, age and job category did not influence on the window view effects. As expected, employees’ job satisfaction and job stress were highly and negatively correlated.

The aims of this study were twofold: to examine the empirical evidence supporting the positive contribution that a forest environment can make on human psychological health and well-being and to describe the theoretical framework within which the forest environment has this effect. Our review of the literature provides empirical evidence that a forest experience can contribute to improved emotional and cognitive health.This experience can be through a forest activity program and by experiencing the social and physical conditions of the forest environment and the therapeutic elements of the forest. Visiting or viewing a forest scene has been documented to have a positive effect on psychological healing and well-being in terms of recovering from stress, improving concentration and productivity, improving the psychological state, particularly for people from urban environments. Wilderness and related studies clearly demonstrate that being in a forest environment has a positive effect on people, while results from other studies indicate that contacts with forest environments provide multiple positive physiological and psychological effects on human health that included decreasing the blood pressure and heart rate and reducing anxiety and stress. There are several theories explaining the healing effects of the forest on human beings. Most hypothesize that restorative environments are settings in which recovery is associated with the reduction of stress and that the benefits of contact with natures include a wide range of positive physiological and psychological responses. These theories are based on an evolutionary perspective and share a number of similarities and differences. This article summarizes a number of these theories of restorative environments as well as addresses the current status of forest therapy and the challenges and opportunities for therapeutic effects of the forest in Korea.

The aim of this study was to investigate whether forest experience had a positive impact on cognitive function. Cognitive function refers to a person's ability to intellectually process by which one becomes aware of, perceives, or comprehends ideas. It involves all aspects of perception, thinking, reasoning, and remembering. Sixty university students participated in this study. We compared the restorative effects on cognitive functioning of interactions with forest versus urban environments. To measure participants’ cognitive function and mood state, Trail Making Test B and Profile of Mood States were used in this study. The results of this study indicated that participants’ cognitive function was significantly improved when they walked in forest (i.e. time taken to complete the task was shortened by more than 7 seconds), but not when they walked downtown. In addition, participants’ mood also positively changed when they walked in forest. The results of this study confirmed Kaplan's attention restoration theory (ART). ART has emphasized the importance of cognitive functions from interaction with natural environments such as forests.

This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to summarize the effects of forest therapy on depression and anxiety using data obtained from randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and quasi-experimental studies. We searched SCOPUS, PubMed, MEDLINE(EBSCO), Web of science, Embase, Korean Studies Information Service System, Research Information Sharing Service, and DBpia to identify relevant studies published from January 1990 to December 2020 and identified 20 relevant studies for the synthesis. The methodological quality of eligible primary studies was assessed by ROB 2.0 and ROBINS-I. Most primary studies were conducted in the Republic of Korea except for one study in Poland. Overall, forest therapy significantly improved depression (Hedges’s g = 1.133; 95% confidence interval (CI): −1.491 to −0.775) and anxiety (Hedges’s g = 1.715; 95% CI: −2.519 to −0.912). The quality assessment resulted in five RCTs that raised potential concerns in three and high risk in two. Fifteen quasi-experimental studies raised high for nine quasi-experimental studies and moderate for six studies. In conclusion, forest therapy is preventive management and non-pharmacologic treatment to improve depression and anxiety. However, the included studies lacked methodological rigor and required more comprehensive geographic application. Future research needs to determine optimal forest characteristics and systematic activities that can maximize the improvement of depression and anxiety.

To evaluate the effect of a forest experience on the levels of depression of alcoholics. Prior to the study, 92 alcoholics were divided into treatment and control groups. During the summer of 2009, the treatment group participated in a series of forest therapy programs, while the control group followed their normal daily routines. Both groups were re-tested upon completion of the program by the treatment group and the depression levels compared. There was a significant improvement in the depression level of alcoholics who had participated in the forest camp program (treatment group). Those participants in their 40s who had severe levels of depression at the beginning of the program showed the most significant improvement during the program experience. The forest therapy camp experience can considerably reduce and ameliorate the depression levels of alcoholics.

There are generally two types of forest therapy. One is to walk or view the forest alone without a guide, and the other is to be accompanied by a guide. This study aimed to investigate the healing factors and health benefits of self-guided forest therapy and guided forest therapy programs and examine the differences in characteristics between interventions. Thirty-seven undergraduate students participated in a randomized experiment (19 in the self-guided forest therapy and 18 in the guided forest therapy program). Data were collected from 111 self-reported essays after each intervention (three essays per person). Results revealed that the forest healing factors contained four categories in common: auditory element, visual element, tactile element, and olfaction element. Forest therapy’s health benefits included five categories in common: change of mind and body, introspection, change of emotion, cognitive change, and social interaction. Among the typical differences, the self-guided forest therapy group mentioned more keywords related to introspection than the guided forest therapy program group. On the other hand, the guided forest therapy program group mentioned more keywords associated with the change of emotion and social interaction than the self-guided forest therapy. Our findings show that self-guided forest therapy provides an opportunity for self-reflection to focus on and think about one’s inner self. On the other hand, guided forest therapy programs provide positive emotional changes and promoting social bonds through interaction with others. Therefore, because the effects that can be obtained vary depending on the type of forest therapy, participants can utilize forest healing to suit the desired outcomes.