A Pragmatic Controlled Trial of Forest Bathing Compared with Compassionate Mind Training in the UK: Impacts on Self-Reported Wellbeing and Heart Rate Variability

Abstract

Forest Bathing, where individuals use mindfulness to engage with nature, has been reported to increase heart rate variability and benefit wellbeing. To date, most Forest Bathing studies have been conducted in Asia. Accordingly, this paper reports the first pragmatic controlled trial of Forest Bathing in the United Kingdom, comparing Forest Bathing with a control comprising an established wellbeing intervention also known to increase heart rate variability called Compassionate Mind Training. Sixty-one university staff and students (50 females, 11 males) were allocated to (i) Forest Bathing, (ii) Compassionate Mind Training or (iii) Forest Bathing combined with Compassionate Mind Training. Wellbeing and heart rate variability were measured at baseline, post-intervention and three-months follow-up. There were improvements in positive emotions, mood disturbance, rumination, nature connection and compassion and 57% of participants showed an increase in heart rate variability. There were no significant differences between conditions, showing that Forest Bathing had equivalence with an established wellbeing intervention. The findings will help healthcare providers and policy makers to understand the effects of Forest Bathing and implement it as a feasible social prescription to improve wellbeing. Future research needs to involve clinical populations and to assess the effects of Forest Bathing in a fully powered randomised controlled trial.

Effect of Nature Walks on Depression and Anxiety: A Systematic Review

“…Nature-based interventions are potentially cost-effective treatments [6] that can provide multiple benefits [7] and are potentially accessible to a range of people providing there is adequate provision of public greenspace [8]. Forest bathing (shinrin-yoku) has received particular attention because it is often free and more accessible than established health interventions [9]. Other nature-based interventions, including walking in nature, have been demonstrated to have positive wellbeing impacts, including reducing stress levels [10].…”

“…However, as for any therapy, there is still a need to understand how health benefits manifest before nature-based activities could be utilized in practice [12]. A substantial increase in the research base is required before nature-based activities can be prescribed alongside established therapies [9].…”

Can Urban Forest Settings Evoke Positive Emotion? Evidence on Facial Expressions and Detection of Driving Factors

“…Perceptive emotions were used as a gauge to evaluate the psychological responses of participants to experiences in forest settings [16,[23][24][25]. Participants reported that they perceived more positive emotions in a forest environment compared to in urban settings [26]. However, higher self-reported scores that indicated better emotions were sometimes also the result of a maintained emotional state in a forest but a sharp decline of positive emotions in an adjacent promenade [23].…”

Nature-Based Interventions for Psychological Wellbeing in Long-Term Conditions: A Systematic Review

“…Evidence for the benefit of NBIs in LTCs is in its infancy, yet recent research comparing forest bathing with compassion mind training in university students found that the interventions had comparable psychological and physiological impacts [ 84 ]. This shows promise since although McEwan and colleagues’ study is one of the first to offer forest-based interventions within the UK, it is a much less familiar intervention within the UK in comparison to its routine embedding in public health in Japan and other Asian countries.…”