SynthesisBMC psychiatry2013
Air ions and mood outcomes: a review and meta-analysis.
Synthesis in BMC psychiatry, 2013. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 20 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
20 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 76 citations in OpenAlex.
- Exposure of laboratory animals to small air ions: a systematic review of biological and behavioral studies.Biomedical engineering online · 2018Pooled it
- Biological effects of exposure to static electric fields in humans and vertebrates: a systematic review.Environmental health : a global access science source · 2017Pooled it
- The Salutary Influence of Forest Bathing on Elderly Patients with Chronic Heart Failure.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2017Trial
- Does waterfall aerosol influence mucosal immunity and chronic stress? A randomized controlled clinical trial.Journal of physiological anthropology · 2017Trial
- Patient Attitudes About Light Therapy and Negative Ion Therapy for Nonseasonal Depression: An Online Survey Study.Cureus · 2025Article
- Selecting, implementing and evaluating control and placebo conditions in light therapy and light-based interventions.Annals of medicine · 2024Review
- Prevalence and Associations of Depression among Saudi College Nursing Students: A Cross-Sectional Study.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Influence of the Type of Binder Used in the Treatment of Cotton Fabric with Montmorillonite Particles on the Release of Negative Ions.Polymers · 2022Article
- Relationship between Depressive Symptoms and Weather Conditions.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Article
- Negative Ion Purifier Effects on Indoor Particulate Dosage to Small Airways.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Article
- The Interplay between Housing Environmental Attributes and Design Exposures and Psychoneuroimmunology Profile-An Exploratory Review and Analysis Paper in the Cancer Survivors' Mental Health Morbidity Context.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Review
- Different Time Scale Distribution of Negative Air Ions Concentrations in Mount Wuyi National Park.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Article
- The effects of negative air ions on cognitive function: an event-related potential (ERP) study.International journal of biometeorology · 2019Article
- The basic roles of indoor plants in human health and comfort.Environmental science and pollution research international · 2018Review
- Residential green space quantity and quality and symptoms of psychological distress: a 15-year longitudinal study of 3897 women in postpartum.BMC psychiatry · 2018Article
- Negative Air Ions and Their Effects on Human Health and Air Quality Improvement.International journal of molecular sciences · 2018Review
- Gardening for health: a regular dose of gardening.Clinical medicine (London, England) · 2018Article
- Natural environments, nature relatedness and the ecological theater: connecting satellites and sequencing to shinrin-yoku.Journal of physiological anthropology · 2016Article
- Exposure to Air Ions in Indoor Environments: Experimental Study with Healthy Adults.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2015Article
- Natural environments, ancestral diets, and microbial ecology: is there a modern "paleo-deficit disorder"? Part II.Journal of physiological anthropology · 2015Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundPsychological effects of air ions have been reported for more than 80 years in the media and scientific literature. This study summarizes a qualitative literature review and quantitative meta-analysis, where applicable, that examines the potential effects of exposure to negative and positive air ions on psychological measures of mood and emotional state.
methodsA structured literature review was conducted to identify human experimental studies published through August, 2012. Thirty-three studies (1957-2012) evaluating the effects of air ionization on depression, anxiety, mood states, and subjective feelings of mental well-being in humans were included. Five studies on negative ionization and depression (measured using a structured interview guide) were evaluated by level of exposure intensity (high vs. low) using meta-analysis.
resultsConsistent ionization effects were not observed for anxiety, mood, relaxation/sleep, and personal comfort. In contrast, meta-analysis results showed that negative ionization, overall, was significantly associated with lower depression ratings, with a stronger association observed at high levels of negative ion exposure (mean summary effect and 95% confidence interval (CI) following high- and low-density exposure: 14.28 (95% CI: 12.93-15.62) and 7.23 (95% CI: 2.62-11.83), respectively). The response to high-density ionization was observed in patients with seasonal or chronic depression, but an effect of low-density ionization was observed only in patients with seasonal depression. However, no relationship between the duration or frequency of ionization treatment on depression ratings was evident.
conclusionsNo consistent influence of positive or negative air ionization on anxiety, mood, relaxation, sleep, and personal comfort measures was observed. Negative air ionization was associated with lower depression scores particularly at the highest exposure level. Future research is needed to evaluate the biological plausibility of this association.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.