Biophilia and Qi experience in horticultural therapy
Journal
Acta Horticulturae
Journal Volume
1330
Journal Issue
1330
Start Page
27
End Page
30
ISSN
0567-7572
2406-6168
Date Issued
2021-11
Author(s)
Abstract
Humans can communicate and share experiences with plants, and spending time in nature is often considered to have a positive impact on humans’ psychological and physical health and well-being. By contrast, exclusive exposure to urban or concrete environments without “green” spaces limits opportunities to engage with nearby nature, causing health problems, poor concentration at work, and stress. Empirical studies in environmental psychology and theories, such as attention restoration, stress reduction, landscape preference, the biophilia hypothesis, and environmental Qi, have offered suggestions of how nature and horticultural experiences can promote health (Kaplan and Kaplan, 1989; Herzog and Kropscott, 2004; Berto, 2005; Chou et al., 2020). Wilson (1984), in his work on the biophilia hypothesis, observed that human beings are deeply connected to the natural world. Moreover, the use of biophilic design features, such as plants, gardens, or water features, can help promote humans’ connections to nature while also providing cognitive, psychological, and physiological benefits (Kellert et al., 2008). In this study, we connect and integrate the relevant theoretical bases for horticultural/therapeutic experiences to provide a conceptual framework and develop the “perceived human-nature interaction scale”. Using psychological scales, including restorativeness, preference, traditional environmental Qi, and biophilic design, we identified the perceived environmental and horticultural/therapeutical attributes, the perceived natural design, and the perception of human-nature experiences that might influence our emotions. In other words, we anticipate defining those perceived environmental and horticultural/ therapeutical attributes that might optimize the benefits to individuals’ health and well-being, particularly in urban green spaces.
Subjects
Biophilia
Human-nature experience
Psychological health
Well-being
Publisher
International Society for Horticultural Science (ISHS)
Type
journal article