This study examined 274 college students' psycho-physiological responses to the six major terrestrial biomes (desert, tundra, grassland, coniferous forest, deciduous forest, and tropical forest), while taking into account the influences of three perceived physical variables (complexity, openness, and water features) presented in the biomes. The purpose of the study was to examine which specific natural setting can evoke the most positive reactions from people. ANCOVA tests and post hoc comparisons using the setting scores across the participants' data on the responses to 48 biome slides regarding scenic beauty, preference, the Short-version Revised Perceived Restorativeness Scale and the Short-version Revised Restoration Scale were performed. The results indicated that tundra and coniferous forest were the most favored biomes, whereas desert and grassland were the least favored. These findings appeared to support the forest hypothesis rather than the long-held savanna hypothesis. In addition, the results of multiple regression analyses indicated that the three perceived physical factors explained 9% more variance of the respondents' reactions than the biome classification. This finding suggested that a nonhabitat-specific approach to environmental responses holds more promise than a habitat-specific approach.

There is growing evidence to support the notion that contact with nature is helpful for emotional states, attention, mental fatigue, behavior, and personal health. This study adopts a quasi-experimental approach to investigate the effects of limitedly visible indoor plants on students' psychology, physiology, and behavior and uses a control-series design covering one semester. Two classes of sophomores at a Taiwanese junior high school (eighth grade, N = 76), of which one served as the experimental group and the other as control, were surveyed once every 2 weeks. After six plants were placed at the back of the classroom, the experimental group had immediately and significantly stronger feelings of preference, comfort, and friendliness as compared to the control group. Also, the experimental group had significantly fewer hours of sick leave and punishment records due to misbehavior than the control group. In addition to the visual and psychological mechanisms that contributed to restoration, there may have been other factors at work.

No abstract

This study argues that although scenic beauty, preference, and restoration are correlated due to their functional significance over evolution, they still can be distinguished from one another within natural landscapes. A total of 274 undergraduate students reported their responses with scenic beauty, preference, and restoration as the target variables while viewing 48 landscape slides of six biomes. In addition, a group of three judges evaluated three physical features presented in the landscape slides as controlling and descriptor variables, described as "complexity," "openness," and "water features." Statistical analyses showed that (a) the three target variables were all significantly and highly (rs > 0.94, p < 0.05) correlated; (b) the only mediated relationship among the target variables was preference mediating scenic beauty and restoration; and (c) scenic beauty and preference versus restoration could be distinguished from each other with respect to the types of natural landscapes and the three physical features.

No abstract