Stress recovery and restorative effects of viewing different urban park scenes in Shanghai, China

•Multiple methods compared stress recovery from viewing different urban park scenes.•Chinese urban nature-based scenes were more restorative than hardscape scenes.•Scenes with more openness but no people were more likely to reduce stress.

ObjectivesMany studies have found that natural environments benefit human health and wellbeing, but few have measured restorativeness of specific landscape components, especially in Chinese settings. Because the rapid urbanization of China is accompanied by increasing predomination of hardscape components in cities, the restorative quality of urban green space is a crucial issue. This study explored the stress recovery effects of different videotaped scenes, using six urban parks and one urban roadway scene. Potentially restorative urban park scenes were controlled for nature-based vs. hardscape components, presence/absence of people, and level of openness.MethodsSubjects were Chinese university students (N = 140) aged 18–24. After completing an oral exam as a stressor, an equal number of males and females were randomly assigned to watch one of the seven videotaped scenes during a stress recovery stage, while data were collected on changes in stress and attentional levels. Physiological responses were measured by Electrocardiography (ECG) and Skin Conductance Response (SCR). Psychological responses were measured by the state (short-term) version of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-S), the Digit Span Backwards (DSB) test, and the Perceived Restorativeness Scale (PRS).ResultsIn a Chinese sample, this study confirmed previous findings that nature-based urban park scenes relieved stress and restored attentional levels, while viewing an urban roadway increased negative feelings. Overall perceived restorativeness was significantly higher in two scenes depicting a Lawn without people and a Small Lake, compared with a paved Plaza with or without people, confirming previous findings that restorativeness is associated with predominance of nature-based landscape components. This study also confirmed previous findings that outdoor scenes without people were more restorative than scenes depicting people.DiscussionThis study found different levels of restorativeness associated with different landscape features, and helped confirm that nature-based components are more likely to reduce stress than hardscape components, using Chinese urban scenes with a Chinese population. Findings can be used in future planning and design of urban spaces in China, emphasizing the value of parks and green spaces in relevant contexts.