Trial reportInternational journal of environmental research and public health2021
The Mood-Improving Effect of Viewing Images of Nature and Its Neural Substrate.
Trial report in International journal of environmental research and public health, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 23 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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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
23 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of EEG, fMRI, and fNIRS Studies on the Psychological Impact of Nature on Well-Being.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2026Pooled it
- Cities and neuroscience research: A systematic literature review.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2022Pooled it
- Effects of immersion in a simulated natural environment on stress reduction and emotional arousal: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in psychology · 2022Pooled it
- Comparing voice-only navigation and paper maps in middle-aged and older adults: A randomized crossover field study of wayfinding, mood, usability, and text-mined user experiences.Scientific reports · 2025Trial
- Physiological adjustment effects of viewing natural environment images on heart rate variability in individuals with depressive and anxiety disorders.Scientific reports · 2025Trial
- Evaluating the impact of a short bout of stair-climbing on creative thinking in a between-subjects pretest posttest comparison study.Scientific reports · 2024Trial
- Exploring the effects of short-term forest bathing on anxious medical undergraduates' stressful emotions using near-infrared functional brain imaging and facial expression technology.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Article
- Trait mindful attention is associated with greater real-time emotional benefits of positive experiences: Evidence from experimental studies.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2026Article
- Default mode network connectivity contributes the augment effect stress recovery by natural viewing.Neurobiology of stress · 2025Article
- Biophilic Design and Restorative Effects: A Neuropsychological Study of Healthy Indoor Workspaces in Urban Contexts.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2025Article
- Relationship Between Darkness and Healing of Night Sky in Planetarium.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2025Article
- Novel insights into rural spatial design: A bio-behavioral study employing eye-tracking and electrocardiography measures.PloS one · 2025Article
- Research on healing-oriented street design based on quantitative emotional electroencephalography and eye-tracking technology.Frontiers in human neuroscience · 2025Article
- Nature images are more visually engaging than urban images: evidence from neural oscillations in the brain.Frontiers in human neuroscience · 2025Article
- Editorial: Cognitive and mental health improvement under- and post-COVID-19.Frontiers in psychology · 2025Article
- Toward a computational understanding of how reminiscing about positive autobiographical memories influences decision-making under risk.Cognitive, affective & behavioral neuroscience · 2023Article
- Editorial: New insights into stress coping and resilience.Frontiers in behavioral neuroscience · 2023Article
- Contribution of Home Gardens to Sustainable Development: Perspectives from A Supported Opinion Essay.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Article
- Impact of Education for Sustainable Development on Cognition, Emotion, and Behavior in Protected Areas.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Article
- Effect of the "Art Coloring" Online Coloring Game on Subjective Well-Being Increase and Anxiety Reduction During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Development and Evaluation.JMIR serious games · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
16 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
It has been recently suggested that contact with nature improves mood via reducing the activity of the prefrontal cortex. However, the specific regions within the prefrontal cortex that underlie this effect remain unclear. In this study, we aimed to identify the specific regions involved in the mood-improving effect of viewing images of nature using a 52-channel functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). Specifically, we focused on the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC), two regions associated with affective processing and control. In a randomized controlled crossover experiment, we assigned thirty young adults to view images of nature and built environments for three minutes each in a counterbalanced order. During image viewing, participants wore a fNIRS probe cap and had their oxyhemoglobin (oxy-Hb) measured. Immediately following each image viewing, participants indicated their mood in terms of comfortableness, relaxation, and vigor. Results showed that viewing images of nature significantly increased comfortableness and relaxation but not vigor compared to viewing images of built environments, with a large effect size. Meanwhile, the concentration of oxy-Hb in only the right OFC and none of the other regions significantly decreased while viewing the images of nature compared to built environments, with a medium effect size. We speculate that viewing images of nature improves mood by reducing the activity of or calming the OFC. Since the OFC is hyperactive in patients with depression and anxiety at rest, contact with nature might have therapeutic effects for them.
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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.