Psychophysiological Impact of Touching Landscape Grass among Older Adults.
Ahmad HassanZhang DeshunPublished in: Journal of urban health : bulletin of the New York Academy of Medicine (2024)
Few studies have investigated plants' healing effects, particularly through touch-based therapy, on older adults. As hypertension rates continue to climb worldwide, touch-based therapy for hypertension prevention has become a significant priority in public health initiatives. This study investigated the impact of tactile interaction with real grass (a landscape activity) versus artificial grass on older adults' physical and cognitive abilities. Employing a within-subject design, we assessed the physiological and emotional effects of touching real grass versus artificial glass for 10 min. Study participants included 50 Chinese individuals, with an average age of 85.64 ± 3.72 years. Measurements included blood pressure, electroencephalogram, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, and standard deviation (SD). Analyzing the SD data revealed that participants experienced a heightened sense of relaxation and calmness after touching real grass, compared to artificial grass. Furthermore, the participants' brainwave patterns-measured in mean power units-exhibited an upward trend while interacting with real grass, whereas they exhibited a downward trend during the interaction with artificial grass. Moreover, the mean systolic blood pressure significantly decreased following interaction with real grass. These findings suggest that engaging with real grass through touch potentially alleviates mental stress, in contrast to the effects of artificial grass.
Keyphrases
- blood pressure
- public health
- physical activity
- heart failure
- single cell
- magnetic resonance
- heart rate
- type diabetes
- computed tomography
- magnetic resonance imaging
- genome wide
- bone marrow
- high resolution
- atrial fibrillation
- deep learning
- insulin resistance
- big data
- machine learning
- mouse model
- adipose tissue
- atomic force microscopy
- cell therapy
- single molecule
- sleep quality
- case control
- stress induced
- replacement therapy