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2017 ASHS Annual Conference

Comparison of Physiological and Psychological Relaxation By Measurements of Prefrontal Cortex, Heart Rate Variability, and Subjective Index for Task with or without Foliage Plants

Tuesday, September 19, 2017: 3:00 PM
King's 1 (Hilton Waikoloa Village)
Sin-Ae Park, Konkuk University, Seoul, Korea, Republic of (South)
Chorong Song, Chiba University, Chiba, Japan
Yun-Ah Oh, Konkuk University, Seoul, Korea, Republic of (South)
Yoshifumi Miyazaki, Chiba University, chiba, Japan
Ki-Cheol Son, Konkuk University, Seoul, Korea, Republic of (South)
The objective of this study was to compare the effects of physiological and psychological relaxation for task with or without foliage plants on prefrontal cortex activity, heart rate variability, and subjective assessments. Twenty one university students conducted a task, transferring pots with or without a foliage plant for 3 min in a crossover experimental design. Oxyhemoglobin (oxy-Hb) concentration in the prefrontal cortex and heart rate variability (HRV) were continuously measured with a portable near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) device and HRV monitor, respectively. After then, subjective evaluation of emotions was answered by a modified semantic differential (SD) method and the profile of mood state questionnaire (POMS). As the results, oxy-Hb concentration in the left prefrontal cortex was significantly lower in the last 3-min in subjects who did the task with foliage plants than in those who did not. One of the indicators for HRV, In (LF/HF) significantly lowered in subjects who did the task with foliage plants during 3 min. A significant psychological relaxation in POMS and SD showed in the subjects who tasked with foliage plants. In conclusion, the task with foliage plants led a physiological and psychological relaxation compared to the task without foliage plants.
See more of: Human Issues in Horticulture/Public Horticulture (Oral)
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