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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Psychol.
Sec. Psychology for Clinical Settings
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1458418

Effects of Forest Bathing (Shinrin-Yoku) in stressed people

Provisionally accepted
Luca Queirolo Luca Queirolo 1*teresa fazia teresa fazia 2Andrea Roccon Andrea Roccon 3elisa pistollato elisa pistollato 4luigi gatti luigi gatti 5Luisa Bernardinelli Luisa Bernardinelli 2Gastone Zanette Gastone Zanette 3franco berrino franco berrino 5
  • 1 Department od Neuroscience, University of Padua, Padua, Italy
  • 2 Department of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, University of Pavia, Pavia, Lombardy, Italy
  • 3 Department of Neuroscience, University Hospital of Padua, Padua, Veneto, Italy
  • 4 Department of Medicine DIMED,University Hospital of Padua, Padua, Veneto, Italy
  • 5 La Grande Via, Milano, Italy

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Aim: This study aims to explore the physiological effect of forest bathing on stress management.Methods: a total of 29 volunteers participated in this pre-post design, which lacked a control group. Several physiological parameters were recorded, including heart rate (HR), heart rate variability (HRV), electrodermal activity (EDA), blood pressure (BP), immunoglobulin A (IGA), salivary cortisol (sCort). Additionally, the perceived stress scale (PSS-10) was administered before forest exposure. Measurements were taken before and after participants spent two days fully immersed in a forest environment. To further assess stress management, participants underwent a Mental Arithmetic Task (MAT) before and after forest immersion, during which EDA, HRV and HR were monitored, using Empatica E4 wristband. Measurements were taken at baseline, during MAT and afterward (recovery).Results: Participants exhibited moderate perceived stress levels before forest immersion (mean PSS-10=21.22, SD 3.78). Post forest exposure, there was a significant decrease sCort (p<0.05) and e EDA (p<0.001), while HRV increased (p<0.001), and diastolic blood pressure rose (p<0.05). ANOVA results from the Mental Arithmetic Test (MAT) indicated that post immersion parasympathetic activity increased in all conditions compared to pre-exposure (p<0.05) except during recovery, while EDA decreased in all conditions post-forest exposure (p<0.05).Shinrin-yoku significantly improved stress management on a physiological level and could be a valuable resource for individuals experiencing stress. However, longitudinal studies with a control group are necessary to determine if these effects persist over time. This study nonetheless demonstrates the potential benefits of forest immersion for stress reduction by boosting our sympathovagal balance and the adaptability of our stress response system.

    Keywords: stress, nature, Forest, Quality of Life, EDA, HRV, Shinrin-yoku

    Received: 02 Jul 2024; Accepted: 14 Oct 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Queirolo, fazia, Roccon, pistollato, gatti, Bernardinelli, Zanette and berrino. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Luca Queirolo, Department od Neuroscience, University of Padua, Padua, Italy

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.