Aesthetics and mood: exploring the effect that landscape aesthetics have on individuals with depressive symptoms

Abstract

According to the National Alliance on Mental illness, 18.5% of adults in the U.S. experience mental illness each year. Many recent studies suggest that the natural environment can beneficially impact the mental health of an individual. Research on healing gardens suggests that if an individual with depression has a higher aesthetic preference for a landscape, the individual will see a positive increase in mood and perhaps a decrease in depressive symptoms. An environmental preference study was conducted to understand if an aesthetically preferred landscape has an impact on the mood of an individual. Participants were recruited from two universities and included students and non-students. A total of 120 participants were given the option of online or in-person participation. Prior to viewing landscape images, participants completed the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and the Environmental Preference Questionnaire (EPQ). Before and after viewing each image, the participants indicated their mood using a Visual Analog Scale and their aesthetic preference using a Likert-type Scale. This study showed a positive increase in mood, dependent upon aesthetic preference across all participants, however, an overall lower mood for individuals with higher depressional tendencies.