Physiological and Psychological Effects of Viewing a Kiwifruit (Actinidia deliciosa ‘Hayward’) Orchard Landscape in Summer in Japan
by
Miho Igarashi 1, Masayuki Miwa 1, Harumi Ikei 2, Chorong Song 1, Michiko Takagaki 1 and Yoshifumi Miyazaki 1,*
Miho Igarashi 1, Masayuki Miwa 1, Harumi Ikei 2, Chorong Song 1, Michiko Takagaki 1 and Yoshifumi Miyazaki 1,*
1
Center for Environment, Health and Field Sciences, Chiba University, 6-2-1 Kashiwa-no-ha, Kashiwa, Chiba 277-0882, Japan
2
Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute, 1 Matsunosato, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8687, Japan
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Academic Editor: Paul B. Tchounwou
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2015, 12(6), 6657-6668; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph120606657
Received: 18 March 2015 / Revised: 3 June 2015 / Accepted: 5 June 2015 / Published: 11 June 2015
The physiological and psychological relaxation effects of viewing a kiwifruit (Actinidia deliciosa ‘Hayward’) orchard landscape were investigated. Seventeen Japanese adult females (46.1 ± 8.2 years) viewed a kiwifruit orchard landscape or a building site (control) for 10 min. The heart rate variability and heart rate were determined. The modified semantic differential method and the short-form Profile of Mood States were used to assess the psychological effects. Compared with viewing the building site, viewing the kiwifruit orchard landscape resulted in a significant increase in the parasympathetic activity, a marginally significant decrease in the heart rate, a significant increase in “comfortable”, “relaxed” and “natural” feelings and a significant improvement in mood states.
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Keywords:
Japanese urban agriculture; kiwifruit orchard; summer; physiological relaxation; psychological relaxation
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MDPI and ACS Style
Igarashi, M.; Miwa, M.; Ikei, H.; Song, C.; Takagaki, M.; Miyazaki, Y. Physiological and Psychological Effects of Viewing a Kiwifruit (Actinidia deliciosa ‘Hayward’) Orchard Landscape in Summer in Japan. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2015, 12, 6657-6668.
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