Effects of virtual exposure to urban greenways on mental health

• DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1256897
• Publication Date: 2024-02-22T05:51:33Z
• Authors: Xiangrong Jiang; Xiaocan Wang; Linxin He; Qingrui Gu; Xin Wei; Mengfei Xu; William C. Sullivan
• Keywords: Stressor; Repeated measures design

Urban greenways (UGW) are increasingly recognized as vital components of urban green infrastructure (UGI). While existing research has provided empirical evidence on the positive impacts UGW physical health, studies focusing effects mental health remain limited. Moreover, previous investigations predominantly compare a whole with other built environments, neglecting influence specific vegetation designs along health. To address this gap, we conducted randomized controlled experiment to examine impact design stress reduction and attention restoration. A total 94 participants were randomly assigned one four conditions: grassland, shrubs, grassland trees, or shrubs trees. Utilizing immersive virtual reality (VR) technology, experienced through 5-min video presentation. We measured participants’ subjective objective levels attentional functioning at three time-points: baseline, pre-video watching, post-video watching. The experimental procedure lasted approximately 40 minutes. Results repeated-measures ANOVA revealed that increased fatigue after stressor decreased following intervention. Furthermore, between-group analyses demonstrated group trees exhibited significantly greater than group. However, there no significant differences in restoration between groups. In conclusion, exposure featuring both sides positively affected It is recommended future construction incorporates diverse designs, including instead solely relying grassland. More needed explore combined outcomes.