The Mechanism of Relaxation by Viewing a Japanese Garden: A Pilot Study

To explore people's visual attention and psychological and physiological responses to viewing a Japanese garden (an asymmetrically designed garden) and an herb garden (a symmetrically designed garden).

There are few studies of eye movements when observing different style gardens, and how they are connected to the interpretation of the space, and physiological and psychological responses.

Thirty subjects were recruited and their physiological and psychological responses to viewing the garden types were assessed using a heart-rate monitor and questionnaire. Eye movements while viewing projected slide images of the gardens were tracking using an eye-tracking monitor.

A significant decrease in heart rate was observed when subjects were viewing the Japanese garden as opposed to viewing the herb garden. Mood was significantly improved in both gardens, but eye-gaze patterns differed. The Japanese garden elicited far more comments about expectations for the coming season; unlike the herb garden, it also induced memories of viewing other landscapes.

The physiological and psychological responses to viewing gardens differs based on the quality of landscape design and the prior experience of viewers.