# Study on the restorative benefits of four behavioural patterns of urban landscape forests under seasonal change

## TL;DR

This study examines how different behaviors in urban forests during autumn affect health and well-being, finding that walking provides the greatest benefits.

## Contribution

The study introduces behavioral patterns as a new variable in assessing restorative effects of urban forests, linking them to physiological and psychological responses.

## Key findings

- Walking in autumn urban forests showed the highest health benefits compared to sitting, lying, and talking.
- The GS group had significantly higher α wave activity and lower β wave activity compared to other groups.
- Behavioral guidance in urban planning can enhance restorative outcomes based on activity types.

## Abstract

Urban landscape forests (ULFs) are important green spaces that promote human well-being by providing health benefits and leisure opportunities. Most studies have concentrated only on health promotion differences in terms of plant community characteristics and have ignored the influence of a user’s own activity type. This study explores the restorative effects of different behavioural modes in deciduous ULFs. We chose 4 common behavioural modes, and a grouping experiment was conducted on a ginkgo scenic forest in Shuangliu Central Park, Chengdu, China. A total of 128 subjects were randomly divided into four gender-balanced groups. Physiological and psychological responses were evaluated using blood pressure, heart rate, electroencephalogram (EEG) measurements, and the Profile of Mood States (POMS) scale. The results revealed that the changes in systolic blood pressure and heart rate in the GL group decreased significantly, and diastolic blood pressure decreased significantly. In the monitoring of EEG changes, the α wave and β wave activity in the GS group and GW group were significantly increased. A comparison of the ANCOVAs among the four groups revealed that the α wave activity of the GS group was significantly greater than that of the other three groups (p < 0.001), the β wave activity of the GS group was significantly lower than that of the GW group, and the T–A mood values of the four behaviour pattern groups were significantly lower according to the POMS. According to the overall statistics of the available indicators, the health benefits of walking in autumn landscape forests are greatest, followed by sitting, lying and talking. The results of this research can encourage urban planners to consider appropriate behavioural guidance when developing nature tours or immersive nature projects on the basis of differences in behaviour patterns to gain more scientific insights into activity types.