Physiological and Psychological Effects of Viewing a Kiwifruit (Actinidia deliciosa 'Hayward') Orchard Landscape in Summer in Japan

The physiological and psychological relaxation effects of viewing a kiwifruit (Actinidia deliciosa Hayward') orchard landscape were investigated. Seventeen Japanese adult females (46.1 +/- 8.2 years) viewed a kiwifruit orchard landscape or a building site (control) for 10 min. The heart rate variability and heart rate were determined. The modified semantic differential method and the short-form Profile of Mood States were used to assess the psychological effects. Compared with viewing the building site, viewing the kiwifruit orchard landscape resulted in a significant increase in the parasympathetic activity, a marginally significant decrease in the heart rate, a significant increase in comfortable, relaxed and natural feelings and a significant improvement in mood states.