Onsite restorative effect of a rural ecological farm versus an urban public greenery space

Abstract

Accessible urban greenery allows short breaks and leisure activities while experiencing nature. Studies have shown that contact with nature elicits psychological and physical health benefits. However, the immediate impact and influence of exposure to artificial versus rural ecological nature have yet to be examined. This study investigates their psychophysiological restorative effects onsite, specifically when individuals view a ubiquitous urban public greenery space or a more indigenous ecological forest-like nature area, to compare levels of restorativeness and relaxation. Participants were asked to sit and view a scene onsite for 6 min while their facial muscle tension was recorded. The data were used to evaluate the degree of facial relaxation for both scenes. In addition, participant self-reports measured perceived restorativeness after the 6-min period. The self-reported data showed that the ecological farm scene was rated significantly higher for perceived restorativeness (t [49.136] = 9.094, p