• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.112 no.4
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• pp.544-553
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• 2023

The purpose of this study was to reveal the thermal comfort and physiological and psychological effects of spending time in broad-leaved forests in suumer. Thirty-one university students (with an average age of 21.4 ± 2.1 years) participated in the study, and a within-subjects experimental design methodology was used. The participants moved to an experimental site (with a crown closure of 76.6%) or a control site (25.9%), sat on a chair to eliminate the impact of movement, and rested for 5 minutes with closed eyes. At this time, thermal comfort, heart rate variability, heart rate, and forehead temperature were continuously measured. After that, blood pressure and pulse rate were measured, and a subjective evaluation was conducted. As a result, spending time at an experimental site showed a statistically significant decrease in the predicted mean vote and the percentage of dissatisfied values, enhancement of parasympathetic nerve activity, decrease of forehead temperature, diastolic blood pressure, heart rate, pulse rate, and improvement of personal thermal sensation (thermal sensation vote and comfort sensation vote). In conclusion, it was found that a forest with high crown closure reduces thermal stress and induces physiological and psychological relaxation.

• Journal of the Korean Applied Science and Technology
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.674-684
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• 2023

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of acute listening to music on the cardiovascular reactivity to sympathoexcitation. In this crossover design study, 15 healthy adults(23.1±1.94(yrs) were randomized to either (1)acute listen to the subject's preferred music for 30 minutes and (2)sat as a time control by an experiment coordinator. After completing each trial, the cold pressor test(CPT) was conducted. Heart rate(HR) and blood pressure(BP) were measured for 4 times at baseline, during and after the CPT. Heart rate variability(HRV) were measured for 3 times at baseline, prior and after the CPT. HR and BP increased during the CPT in both trial and returned to baseline after CPT(time effect, p < .001). After CPT, brachial systolic BP reactivity to the CPT was attenuated in listening to music trial compared to control trial(p = . 008). As a result of heart rate variability(HRV), the difference values between the baseline and prior to the CPT showed a significant increase in standard deviation of the NN intervals(SDNN), total power(TP) and high frequency(HF) only in the music trial (p = .001, p = .002, p = .011). The difference value between prior to and after the CPT did not show significance. But compared with the control trial, the music trial was confirmed that SDNN, TP and HF were more activated. Therefore, listening to music alleviated anxiety and tension before the CPT, and it is estimated that it had a favorable effect on stability after the CPT. This findings showed that listening to music may have a positive effect on brachial systolic BP and HRV to sympathoexcitation.