Better Nature: Improved Interactions with Nature May Reduce Psychophysiological Stress in Chinese Adults

Reducing stress associated with technology and the use of electronics is a major issue among Chinese adults. However, no studies have investigated the effect of tactile stimulation of the feet. In this study, we investigated psychophysiological techniques for controlling stress by having participants touch natural materials with the sole of the foot. The study included 90 young Chinese adults with a mean (& PLUSMN;SD) age of 21.2 & PLUSMN; 2.7 years. A crossover design was used to examine psychological and physiological differences be-tween touching grass with the sole of the foot and touching wood (control) for 10 minutes. Physiological assessments included blood pressure measurements and electroencephalog-raphy, and psychological assessments included the Semantic Differential Method (SDM) and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI). We observed significant decreases in sys-tolic and diastolic blood pressures in the experimental condition compared with the control condition, along with increases in alpha and beta activities. SDM results indi-cated that participants were moderately comfortable, very relaxed, and experienced reduced anxiety after stimulation with grass compared with after the control condi-tion. Mean attention and relaxation scores were also significantly higher in the experi-mental condition than in the control condition. Thus, our results suggest that touching grass with the sole of the foot can lower psychophysiological stress in adults.