Greening therapy: The impact of green elements on the efficacy of anxiety-reducing interventions

Abstract

The purpose of the present study is to better understand the relationship between plants and anxiety. The researcher primarily seeks to investigate the capacity for plants to reduce anxiety and increase the efficacy of anxiety-reducing interventions as well as the potential for one's connection to nature to further impact the ability for plants to reduce anxiety. The present study is situated within Bowen Family Systems Theory and is primarily interested in the concept of chronic anxiety. Previous research has demonstrated a connection between green interventions and positive mental health outcomes, but there is a gap in the literature for experimental, quantitative research as well as studies that include indoor exposure to green elements (Bang et al., 2017; Gubbels et al., 2016; Lee et al., 2011; Wendelboe-Nelson et al., 2019). The researcher sought to fill these gaps with an experimental study that collected data on participants' (N=36) state anxiety in a green or non-green environment alongside the completion of a diaphragmatic breathing exercise.