School of Health, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou 350122, China.
School of Management, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200444, China.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Oct 19;19(20):13541. doi: 10.3390/ijerph192013541.
The COVID-19 pandemic has not only jeopardized people's physical health, but also put additional strain on their mental health. This study explored the role of indoor natural elements (i.e., green plants) in relieving individuals' mental stress during a prolonged stressful period. A pilot and three formal studies examined the effect of indoor green plants placed in living and working environments on people's perceived stress during the pandemic and further uncovered its underlying mechanism emphasizing a mediating role of emotion. The pilot study confirmed that the severity of the pandemic positively correlated with individuals' level of stress. Study 1 then demonstrated that indoor green plants in people's living environments might reduce their perceived stress during the pandemic, which is referred to as the "plant effect". Study 2 repeated the plant effect in a field experiment conducted in a working environment and Study 3 revealed a mediating role of positive emotion. This study provides preliminary evidence for the mitigating effect of indoor green plants on individuals' mental stress during the COVID-19 pandemic period. The indoor green plants placed in living and working environments may elicit positive emotion, which in turn reduce people's mental stress. In addition, our results reveal that growth status of the indoor green plants affected the plant effect as well.
新冠疫情不仅危害人们的身体健康，还对人们的心理健康造成额外压力。本研究探讨了室内自然元素（如绿色植物）在长时间压力期间缓解个体精神压力的作用。一项初步研究和三项正式研究考察了将绿色植物置于生活和工作环境中对人们在疫情期间感知到的压力的影响，并进一步揭示了其强调情绪中介作用的潜在机制。初步研究证实，疫情的严重程度与个体的压力水平呈正相关。研究 1 然后表明，人们生活环境中的室内绿色植物可能会降低他们在疫情期间的感知压力，这被称为“植物效应”。研究 2 在工作环境中进行的现场实验中重复了植物效应，研究 3 揭示了积极情绪的中介作用。本研究为室内绿色植物在缓解新冠疫情期间个体精神压力方面提供了初步证据。生活和工作环境中放置的室内绿色植物可能会引发积极情绪，从而降低人们的精神压力。此外，我们的结果还表明，室内绿色植物的生长状况会影响植物效应。
