The effectiveness of a forest therapy (shinrin-yoku) program for girls aged 12 to 14 years: A crossover study

Abstract

Several complementary and alternative regimens have been developed to encourage relaxation and control stress. Recently, “shinrin-yoku” (walking in a forest and viewing the forest landscapes) has been recognized as a successful relaxation activity. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effective- ness of a “shinrin-yoku” programon stress and relaxation for adolescent girls. Twenty-seven girls, aged 12 to 14 years, participated in a program that included walking in a forest and viewing the forest landscape; performing the same activities in a city area was used as a control ex- perience. Salivary amylase activities, the Mood Inventory, and subjective relaxation were measured. Themean values of salivary amylase activities decreased in the forest and increased in the city. The re- sponses to the Mood Inventory indicated a relaxed mood after walking the forest. In addition, the pres- ence of negative moods in the forest was significantly lower than in the city, and the subjective relaxa- tion level in the forest was significantly higher than in the city. Our results indicated that the forest en- vironment was effective in increasing relaxation and decreasing stress and fatigue. Shinrin-yoku may play a role in improving or maintaining the psychological health of adolescent girls.