EXPERIENCES AND STRESS REDUCTION OF VIEWING NATURAL ENVIRONMENTAL SETTINGS

This study tested the relationships between psychological and psychophysiological benefits of viewing different nature-based landscapes. Six locations of different natural environment settings in Taiwan were filmed for this study. The experience scale was used to assess participants’ satisfaction. The State Anxiety Inventory was used to measure the participants’ psychological benefits. The right and left sphere alpha brain waves (Electroencephalography, EEG-a/EEG-b) and the forehead electro¬myography (EMG) recorded by biofeedback instruments was used to measure the participants’ physical benefits. The results showed different environments could induce different experiences. Participants generally thought that the stream landscape provided the most experience satisfaction and the seashore landscape provided the least. For the relationship between environments, experiences, and benefits, this study showed that there was a significant correlation between psychological benefits, envi¬ronments, and experiences.