都會中虛擬實境森林療癒建置效果之評估

Abstract

聯合國人口司（United Nations estimates）估算2050年時，全球將有50億人口居住在城市裡。然而，社會前進的節奏越快，現代都會人面臨的壓力越大。世界各國日漸重視森林對於人體健康的效應研究證實森林對人體的生理及心理具有正向的恢復效果。惟生活在都會城市的上班族群鮮少與大自然接觸，難以取得可增進健康的環境。本研究以精準投影方式建置虛擬實境森林療癒環境，使都會人沉浸於虛擬的森林中以五感體驗，是否可以同樣得到生心理的健康效益？能否滿足舒緩身心的需求？本研究之生理指標採用心跳變異率、心跳、血壓以及唾液澱粉酶活性，心理指標則採用盤斯心情量表與語意差異量表，並透過受試者背景資料作為參考依據。 研究結果顯示，生理指標方面：虛擬森林療癒具有活化自律神經系統來降低個體的心跳速度與血壓以達到對都會族群紓解壓力之效益；心理指標方面：虛擬森林療癒能提高都市族群之活力與自尊，而有效降低困惑、疲勞、憤怒、緊張、沮喪等負面情緒減緩個體的壓力；在受試者背景敘述統計之結果中，可得知年齡、性別、慢性疾病、抽菸、喝酒習慣以及運動習慣對虛擬森林療癒之差異情形。本研究藉由虛擬森林療癒五感體驗實驗之前後測結果，證實虛擬森林可以同樣得到生心理的健康效益，達到滿足都會人舒緩身心的需求，同時證實本研究之虛擬實境森林療癒建置條件具有基本效果；此初步探究的結果，可做為後續建置虛擬森林環境時，提供實驗研究參考。長期而言，都會族群面臨過大工作壓力影響生活及身心健康，藉由本研究結果冀能呼籲並鼓勵大眾，適度休假：走進森林親近自然，定期安排一場可以休息、充電、思考人生方向並恢復自我生心理健康效益的森林療癒；同時將本研究結果提供森林療癒推廣之參考依據與方向。

The United Nations estimated that by 2050, there will be five billion people living in cities around the world. However, the faster pace of society advancement causes more pressure to the urbanite. Many countries around the world pay more and more attention to studies of how forests effect people’s health, and it is proven that forest’s positive recovery effects on people’s physical and mental health. However, the urbanite has limited access to nature and therefore it is difficult for them to be in a healthy environment. By using high resolution projection mapping, we built a virtual reality forest healing environment, so that participants can be immersed in the virtual forest for five-sense experience. Will the same physical and mental health be benefit? Will the needs for physical and mental relaxation be meet? In this research, heart rate variability, heart rate, blood pressure and salivary amylase activity were used as physiological indicators, while pans mood scale and semantic difference scale were used as psychological indicators, and participants background will be considered as reference. The results show that in terms of physiological indicators, virtual forest therapy can activate the autonomic nervous system to reduce the heart rate and blood pressure of individuals so as to achieve the benefit of relieving the pressure of urban population. In terms of psychological indicators, virtual forest therapy can improve the vitality and self-esteem of urban population, and effectively reduce the negative emotions such as confusion, fatigue, anger, tension, depression, and etc. to ease the pressure from individuals. By analyzing the background of the participants, we found how virtual forest therapy heals individual differently by age, gender, chronic diseases, smoking, drinking and sports habits. It is confirmed that virtual forest therapy can contribute physiological and metal benefits through the five-sense experience to fulfill the urbanites’ needs for physical and mental relaxation. It is also confirmed that the establishment of the virtual forest healing condition possess fundamental result in this research. In the long term, the urbanite faces work pressure which affects their life style, physical and mental health. Based on the results from this research, we hope to appeal and encourage the public to take a moderate vacation: immersed in the forest and get close to the nature. Get physical and mental health recovered by arranging forest therapy periodically to get rested, recharged, and thoughts cleared for direction of life. At the same time, this research can be referenced as a baseline for promoting forest therapy’s in the future.