Studies have indicated that natural environments have the potential to improve the relationship between a stressful life and psychological well-being and physical health. Forest therapy has recently received widespread attention as a novel solution for stress recovery and health promotion. Bamboo is an important forest type in many countries, especially in East and Southeast Asia and in African countries. Bamboo is widespread throughout southwestern China. Empirical field research on the physiological effects of bamboo forest therapy is currently lacking. To explore the benefits of bamboo forest therapy on the physiological responses of university students, 120 university volunteers between the ages of 19 and 24 participated in this study (60 males and 60 females) and were randomly divided into four groups of equal size (15 males and 15 females in each). Four sites were selected for the experiment, including two natural bamboo forests (YA and YB), a bamboo forest park (DJY), and an urban environment (CS). During the testing period, all participants were asked to view the landscape for 15 min in the morning and then walk in the testing area for 15 min in the afternoon. Blood pressure (BP), heart rate (HR), and peripheral oxygen saturation (SpO2) were measured as the physiological indexes, and the semantic differential method (SDM) questionnaire was completed for the environmental satisfaction evaluation. The SDM for the subjective environmental evaluation differed significantly among the university students; they obtained a better environmental experience, in terms of sensory perception, atmosphere, climate, place, and space, in the bamboo forest sites. The three-day bamboo forest therapy session improved the physiological well-being of university students. First, the blood pressure and heart rate of the university students decreased, and the SpO2 increased, after the three-day viewing and walking activities of the three-day bamboo forest therapy session. The viewing activities had a more pronounced effect on decreased heart rate in university students. Additionally, three-day bamboo forest therapy had a positive impact on decreased systolic blood pressure and heart rate in the university students, and it was significantly decreased in females, while peripheral oxygen saturation (SpO2) remained relatively low. Finally, compared with the urban site (CS), the bamboo forest sites effectively improved the university students’ physiological state of health, decreased their physical pressure, and stabilized their physiological indicators. These findings provide scientific evidence that a three-day bamboo forest therapy session can increase positive physiological responses. The potential for a longer-term effect on human physiological health requires further investigation.

Forest therapy is a fast-growing treatment approach, as it has the potential to alleviate stressful life events and to improve psychological well-being and physical health. Bamboo forests are widespread in southwestern China. Nevertheless, a knowledge gap on the specific health benefits of bamboo forest (BF) therapy still exists. To explore the psycho-physiologic responses of participants to the effects of BF therapy, 60 male adults aged between 19 and 24, with similar healthy conditions, were selected to participate in this study. A one-group pretest–posttest design was used for the BF sites and the city site (CS) to compare the difference in the psycho-physiologic responses of participants before and after the test. Participants at the BF sites participated in a three-day bamboo forest therapy session, and those at the CS participated in a three-day urban program. Blood pressure, heart rate, and peripheral oxygen saturation were measured as the physical signs, and the profile of mood state (POMS) questionnaire was completed by the participants for the psychological evaluation. Blood was sampled, and natural killer (NK) activity, the number of NK cells, and the levels of corticosterone, granulysin, perforin, and granzyme A/B in peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBLs) were measured. All the measurements mentioned above were performed at 08:00 on the first and fourth days within the test. Results indicated that the three-day BF therapy was capable of enhancing positive mood states and also reducing negative mood states in the male participants. The blood pressure and heart rates of the male participants decreased, while the peripheral oxygen saturation increased after the three-day BF therapy session. Furthermore, BF therapy significantly increased NK activity and the number of NK cells and perforin-, granulysin-, and granzyme A/B-expressing cells and significantly decreased the corticosterone level in PBLs in the male participants. The three-day BF therapy session improved the psychological and physiological well-being and enhanced the immune functions of the male college students.

Emotion plays an important role in physical and mental health. Green space is an environment conducive to physical and mental recovery and influences human emotions through visual and auditory stimulation. Both the visual environment and sound environment of a green space are important factors affecting its quality. Most of the previous relevant studies have focused solely on the visual or sound environment of green spaces and its impacts. This study focused on the combination of vegetation density (VD) and integrated sound environment (ISE) based on neural emotional evaluation criteria. VD was used as the visual variable, with three levels: high (H), moderate (M) and low (L). ISE was used as the sound variable, with four levels: low-decibel natural and low-decibel artificial sounds (LL), low-decibel natural and high-decibel artificial sounds (LH), high-decibel natural and low-decibel artificial sounds (HL) and high-decibel natural and high-decibel artificial sounds (HH). These two variables were combined into 12 unique groups. A total of 360 volunteer college students were recruited and randomly assigned to the 12 groups (N = 30). All 12 groups underwent the same 5 min high-pressure learning task (pretest baseline), followed by a 5 min audio-visual recovery (posttest). Six indicators of neural emotion (engagement, excitement, focus, interest, relaxation and stress) were dynamically measured by an Emotiv EPOC X device during the pretest and posttest. Analysis of covariance was used to determine the main and coupled effects of the variables. (1) VD and ISE have significant effects on human neural emotions. In moderate- and high-VD spaces, artificial sound levels may have a positive effect on excitement. (2) A higher VD is more likely to result in excitatory neural emotion expression. (3) Low-VD and high-VD spaces have a higher degree of visual continuity. Both extremely low and extremely high VDs result in a higher expression of stressful emotions than observed for a moderate VD. (4) High-decibel artificial sounds are more likely to attract attention, possibly because artificial sounds are easier to recognize than natural sounds. However, when both the natural and artificial sounds are low, it is difficult to induce higher tones, and the lower the artificial sound decibel level, the easier it is to relax. Additionally, under the influence of an ISE, attention recovery and stress recovery may be negatively correlated. The results show that an appropriate combination of VD and ISE can improve the health benefits of a green space and thus the well-being of visitors.

As important linear public spaces, urban greenways are highly important for improving public health. Many studies have proven the benefits of urban greenways for human well-being, but fewer studies have focused on the impact of their specific environmental types and characteristics on physical and mental health. In this study, 100 subjects participated in a comparative experiment on three types of urban greenways (urban roads, urban parks, and urban rivers), and corresponding physiological indicator (systolic blood pressure [SBP], diastolic blood pressure [DBP], and pulse) and psychological indicator (perceived restorativeness scale [PRS] and positive and negative affect schedule [PANAS]) data were collected. The results indicated that (1) different greenway environment types lead to different physiological and psychological states; (2) urban park-type greenways (SBP [t = 2.37, p = 0.020], DBP [t = 2.06, p = 0.042], PANAS = 2.80, PRS = 5.39) have the greatest physical and mental recovery benefits, followed by urban river-type greenways (SBP [t = 2.84, p = 0.006], DBP [t = 1.29, p = 0.200], PANAS = 2.30, PRS= 5.02) and urban road-type greenways (SBP [t = 0.78, p = 0.440], DBP [t = 0.37, p = 0.716], PANAS = 2.00, PRS = 4.15); (3) plant color and layer diversity have a significant positive impact on the mental health benefits of the three greenway types; (4) the aesthetics of waterscapes and ornaments can significantly improve the perceived restoration ability of urban river-type greenways; and (5) the comfort of pathways and facilities can effectively promote the psychological recovery potential of urban road-type greenways. These findings systematically demonstrate for the first time the differences in restoration potential among urban greenways of different environmental types and summarize the key landscape characteristic predictors influencing the restoration potential of various types of urban greenways. Our research provides new ideas for proactive greenway interventions for physical and mental health and for enriching the restorative environmental science system.

Forests are large-scale green space resources that may exert a positive impact on human physiology and psychology. Forests can be divided into mixed forest and pure forest, according to the number of dominant tree species. Pure forest offers specific advantages for the study of spatial structure and scale. In this study, a type of pure forest (i.e., bamboo forest) was adopted as a research object to investigate differences in the physiological and psychological responses of psychologically pressured college students to different types of forest space. We recruited 60 participants and randomly assigned them to three experimental groups: forest interior space (FIS), forest external space (FES) and forest path space (FPS). All participants were asked to perform the same pre-test task but different post-test tasks. The pre-test involved performing a pressure-inducing task, whereas the post-test involved viewing photographs of each space type. The same indicators were measured in both the pre- and post-test, including a β/α index from each lobe, positive emotion, negative emotion and total mood disturbance (TMD) values, according to the profile of mood states (POMS), in addition to spatial scale preferences obtained through a questionnaire and interviews. We analysed brain waves and mood indicators through analysis of covariance (ANCOVA), whereby the FES group exhibited the best physiological and psychological relaxation effect. The FPS group displayed a medium effect, and the FIS group exhibited the worst effect. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to analyse the spatial scale scores. The FPS and FES types achieved a higher spatial scale preference scores than the FIS type. Based on a comparison of the psychophysiological results with the spatial scale preference results, spatial structure and scale are considered to be important intrinsic factors that influence the health effects of pure forest. The results can provide guidance for forest-related human health activities and their management.

Chinese classical gardens serve as restorative environments that epitomize the essence of Chinese aesthetics. Despite their recognized Outstanding Universal Value, research on the multisensory experiences and associated well-being benefits they offer remains insufficiently explored. This study examines the Humble Administrator’s Garden through a multisensory framework incorporating visual, auditory, and tactile dimensions. By employing a mixed methods approach that integrates questionnaires and physiological measurements, we assessed the psychophysiological responses of 78 participants before and after entering the garden, as well as at distinct landscape points. Key findings reveal the following: (1) the traditional garden environment evoked significant positive perceptual effects; (2) the garden, with its diverse combination of landscape elements—including architecture, water features, rock formations, and plants—was strongly associated with enhanced well-being outcomes. A higher diversity of visual landscapes yielded more pronounced benefits, with water features exerting the most substantial positive influence on health, while rock formations showed a comparatively lesser effect; and (3) physiological and psychological responses of participants varied within the same landscape setting, with tactile experiences eliciting the most profound psychological changes. These findings underscore the pivotal role of multisensory engagement in Chinese classical gardens for fostering well-being, offering valuable health-related benefits beyond their cultural and ecological significance.