IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jijerp/v19y2022i20p13541-d947194.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Effect of Green Plants on Individuals’ Mental Stress during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Preliminary Study

Author

Listed:
  • Tao Liu

    (School of Health, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou 350122, China
    School of Management, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200444, China
    School of Management, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China)

  • Lin He

    (School of Management, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200444, China
    School of Management, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China)

  • Wenhuan Yu

    (School of Management, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China)

  • Thomas Freudenreich

    (School of Management, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
    Institute for International Marketing Management, Vienna University of Economics and Business, 1020 Vienna, Austria)

  • Xianhao Lin

    (School of Health, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou 350122, China)

Abstract

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.

Suggested Citation

  • Tao Liu & Lin He & Wenhuan Yu & Thomas Freudenreich & Xianhao Lin, 2022. "Effect of Green Plants on Individuals’ Mental Stress during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Preliminary Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(20), pages 1-11, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:19:y:2022:i:20:p:13541-:d:947194
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/19/20/13541/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/19/20/13541/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Cuiyan Wang & Riyu Pan & Xiaoyang Wan & Yilin Tan & Linkang Xu & Cyrus S. Ho & Roger C. Ho, 2020. "Immediate Psychological Responses and Associated Factors during the Initial Stage of the 2019 Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Epidemic among the General Population in China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(5), pages 1-25, March.
    2. Katie Hayes & Blake Poland, 2018. "Addressing Mental Health in a Changing Climate: Incorporating Mental Health Indicators into Climate Change and Health Vulnerability and Adaptation Assessments," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 15(9), pages 1-19, August.
    3. Sin-Ae Park & Chorong Song & Yun-Ah Oh & Yoshifumi Miyazaki & Ki-Cheol Son, 2017. "Comparison of Physiological and Psychological Relaxation Using Measurements of Heart Rate Variability, Prefrontal Cortex Activity, and Subjective Indexes after Completing Tasks with and without Foliag," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 14(9), pages 1-12, September.
    4. Justė Lukoševičiūtė & Kastytis Šmigelskas, 2022. "Mental Health during COVID-19 Pandemic: Qualitative Perceptions among Lithuanian Adolescents," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(12), pages 1-15, June.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. J. Pierre Zila-Velasque & Pamela Grados-Espinoza & Naomi Coba-Villan & Jocelyn Quispe-Chamorro & Yesenia F. Taipe-Guillén & Estefany Pacheco & Laura Ccasa-Valero & Virgilio E. Failoc-Rojas & Cristian , 2022. "Mental Disorders and Level of Resilience in Eight High-Altitude Cities of Peru during the Second Pandemic Wave: A Multicenter Population-Based Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(1), pages 1-19, December.
    2. Hee-Kyung Kim, 2022. "In the COVID-19 Era, Effects of Job Stress, Coping Strategies, Meaning in Life and Resilience on Psychological Well-Being of Women Workers in the Service Sector," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(16), pages 1-15, August.
    3. Isabel Mercader Rubio & Pilar Sánchez-López & Nieves Gutiérrez Ángel & Nieves Fátima Oropesa Ruiz, 2022. "Psychological Consequences of Fear of COVID-19: Symptom Analysis of Triggered Anxiety and Depression Disorders in Adolescents and Young Adults," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(21), pages 1-8, October.
    4. S. Brent Jackson & Kathryn T. Stevenson & Lincoln R. Larson & M. Nils Peterson & Erin Seekamp, 2021. "Outdoor Activity Participation Improves Adolescents’ Mental Health and Well-Being during the COVID-19 Pandemic," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(5), pages 1-18, March.
    5. Piotr Długosz & Damian Liszka & Anastasiia Bastrakova & Luydmila Yuzva, 2022. "Health Problems of Students during Distance Learning in Central and Eastern Europe: A Cross-Sectional Study of Poland and Ukraine," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(16), pages 1-16, August.
    6. Hyunju Jo & Chorong Song & Yoshifumi Miyazaki, 2019. "Physiological Benefits of Viewing Nature: A Systematic Review of Indoor Experiments," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(23), pages 1-23, November.
    7. Artem Kashtanov & Ekaterina Molotok & Andrey Yavorovskiy & Alexander Boyarkov & Yuriy Vasil’ev & Ali Alsaegh & Sergey Dydykin & Olesya Kytko & Renata Meylanova & Yulianna Enina & Vasiliy Troitskiy & M, 2022. "A Comparative Cross-Sectional Study Assessing the Psycho-Emotional State of Intensive Care Units’ Physicians and Nurses of COVID-19 Hospitals of a Russian Metropolis," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(3), pages 1-22, February.
    8. Federica Bianco & Annalisa Levante & Serena Petrocchi & Flavia Lecciso & Ilaria Castelli, 2021. "Maternal Psychological Distress and Children’s Internalizing/Externalizing Problems during the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Moderating Role Played by Hypermentalization," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(19), pages 1-15, October.
    9. Kailie Drumm & Roxanne Vandermause, 2023. "Adolescents Concerned about Climate Change: A Hermeneutic Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(22), pages 1-15, November.
    10. Jing Guo & Xing Lin Feng & Xiao Hua Wang & Marinus H. van IJzendoorn, 2020. "Coping with COVID-19: Exposure to COVID-19 and Negative Impact on Livelihood Predict Elevated Mental Health Problems in Chinese Adults," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(11), pages 1-18, May.
    11. Rocío Lavigne-Cervan & Borja Costa-López & Rocío Juárez-Ruiz de Mier & Marta Sánchez-Muñoz de León & Marta Real-Fernández & Ignasi Navarro-Soria, 2021. "Implications of the Online Teaching Model Derived from the COVID-19 Lockdown Situation for Anxiety and Executive Functioning in Spanish Children and Adolescents," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(19), pages 1-15, October.
    12. Wasiq Khan & Bilal M. Khan & Salwa Yasen & Ahmed Al-Dahiri & Dhiya Al-Jumeily & Khalil Dajani & Abir Hussain, 2022. "COVID-19 Vaccination and Mental Stress within Diverse Sociodemographic Groups," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(19), pages 1-19, October.
    13. Sabrina Bonichini & Marta Tremolada, 2021. "Quality of Life and Symptoms of PTSD during the COVID-19 Lockdown in Italy," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(8), pages 1-11, April.
    14. Fei Qin & Yiqing Song & George P Nassis & Lina Zhao & Yanan Dong & Cuicui Zhao & Yiwei Feng & Jiexiu Zhao, 2020. "Physical Activity, Screen Time, and Emotional Well-Being during the 2019 Novel Coronavirus Outbreak in China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(14), pages 1-16, July.
    15. Ankica Kosic & Tamara Džamonja Ignjatović & Nebojša Petrović, 2021. "A Cross-Cultural Study of Distress during COVID-19 Pandemic: Some Protective and Risk Factors," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(14), pages 1-15, July.
    16. Shunying Zhao & Qiang Yang & Hohjin Im & Baojuan Ye & Yadi Zeng & Zhinan Chen & Lu Liu & Dawu Huang, 2022. "The impulsive online shopper: effects of COVID-19 burnout, uncertainty, self-control, and online shopping trust," Future Business Journal, Springer, vol. 8(1), pages 1-15, December.
    17. Durmuş Burak, 2023. "The Effect of Risk and Protective Factors on Primary School Students’ COVID-19 Anxiety: Back to School After the Pandemic," Child Indicators Research, Springer;The International Society of Child Indicators (ISCI), vol. 16(1), pages 29-51, February.
    18. Mónica Leira-Sanmartín & Agustín Madoz-Gúrpide & Enriqueta Ochoa-Mangado & Ángela Ibáñez, 2021. "Psychological Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic and Related Variables: A Cross-Sectional Study in a Sample of Workers in a Spanish Tertiary Hospital," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(7), pages 1-10, March.
    19. Shuangshuang Xin & Xiujie Ma, 2023. "Mechanisms of Physical Exercise Effects on Anxiety in Older Adults during the COVID-19 Lockdown: An Analysis of the Mediating Role of Psychological Resilience and the Moderating Role of Media Exposure," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(4), pages 1-15, February.
    20. Vicenç Hernández-González & Josep Maria Carné-Torrent & Carme Jové-Deltell & Álvaro Pano-Rodríguez & Joaquin Reverter-Masia, 2022. "The Top 100 Most Cited Scientific Papers in the Public, Environmental & Occupational Health Category of Web of Science: A Bibliometric and Visualized Analysis," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(15), pages 1-24, August.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:19:y:2022:i:20:p:13541-:d:947194. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.