Popular Post. Item 5 of total. Blog category. Item 50 of total. Teachers Day. Valentine Gifts for Boyfriend. Valentine Gifts for Girlfriend. Republic Day. Online Flowers. Raksha Bandhan. Valentine Gifts for Her. Valentine Gifts for Him. Valentine Gifts for Husband. Valentine Gifts for Wife. Valentine's Day. Women's Day.
New Year. Mothers Day. Father's Day. Friendship Day. Bhai Dooj. Childrens Day. Gifts For Father. Gifts For Her. Not recommended if you have children or pets, as it is poisonous. Cottage pink Dianthus plumarius : White, pink or rose flowers with darker centers have fringed petals and a spicy fragrance. Plant is low and mounded with gray-green foliage. Perfect at the front of a border or as a companion to roses. Evening primrose Oenothera : A tough perennial with showy, four-petaled flowers of white, pink or bright yellow that open in evening and give off a sweet aroma.
Four o'clock Mirabilis jalapa : True to its name, this pretty plant has flowers that open in late afternoon and emit a vanilla scent. Blossoms come in white and cheerful shades of red, pink and yellow. Some are bi-colored. Lily Lilium : A large group of bulbs bearing trumpet-shaped flowers with an unmistakably sweet scent. A favorite of gardeners and floral arrangers alike. Plant in fall in the middle or back of a border or in a container.
Mock orange Philadelphus coronarius : A fast-growing shrub that gets up to 10 feet tall and is hardy down to Zone 2. The participants viewed the plants, while calmly inhaling the flower fragrance. Thus, the concentration and transmission of the flower fragrance did not change significantly with time.
The experimental data were divided into physiological data and psychological data. Physiological data included pulse rate BPM , blood pressure [systolic mmHg , diastolic mmHg ], and brain waves. It is generally considered that alpha wave and beta wave display the closest relationship to human emotions, in which high alpha wave about 10—12 Hz is closely correlated with relaxation, and high beta wave about 21—30 Hz corresponds to more attention and alertness Coben et al.
By employing the methods of relevant literature Hassan et al. Blood pressure and pulse rate were measured two times using a sphygmomanometer on the left arm Omron, hem, China. The headset had four essential components: 1 a headband, 2 an ear clip, 3 a sensor arm containing the EEG electrode, and 4 a Bluetooth device. The device was light and compact, and did not cause obvious discomfort to users.
The device continuously recorded brain wave data and mean value per minute was reported. Specifically, brain wave signals during states of relaxation and attention can be sorted from weak to strong on a scale from 1 to by this software Sezer et al.
Total Mood Disturbance TMD was calculated according to the scores from each subscale, with lower TMD scores reflecting a better overall emotional state. The SD method can be used directly quantify the subjective perception of external stimuli. In this study, we selected three adjective items, i. The 50 participants were randomly divided into two groups. The experiment had a crossover design.
On the first day of the experiment, the first group 25 people viewed the fragrant Primula in the laboratory and experienced the olfactory stimulation, while the second group 25 people viewed the odorless Primula in the laboratory, and thus did not receive olfactory stimulation. On the next day, the two groups were switched such that they repeated the experiment with the alternate condition. To avoid changes in measurement caused by the physiological clock, the activity took place from — am on each day.
Before the beginning of the experiment, the participants were informed regarding the content of the experiment and told that they could withdraw from the experiment at any time.
All participants signed informed consent forms. First, the participants were invited into the preparation room and asked to sit down for 5 min. They then completed measurements of blood pressure, pulse rate, and completed a mood state scale.
Subsequently, each participant entered the laboratory, put on EEG equipment, and closed their eyes to rest for 3 min to reach a stable state. Next, raw EEG data were acquired at a 1-min interval till the min Primula exposure experience was completed.
According to previous studies, 10 min experience was enough for the participants to have a significant recovery through exposure to the natural settings Ulrich et al. After the experience, the participants rested for 5 min in a sitting position. They then underwent blood pressure and pulse rate measurements, and completed the mood state and semantic difference scales. When all measurements were completed, the participants were thanked for their involvement and excused from the laboratory.
Excel and SPSS 19 were used to analyze the statistical data. A paired t -test was used to analyze the pulse rate and blood pressure data. The systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, and pulse rate data are shown in Figure 2. Before the experiment, we found no significant differences between the control condition and experimental condition in terms of the three physiological indexes.
After the experiment, the mean systolic blood pressure in the control condition exhibited a decreasing trend, although this difference was not significant Figure 2.
After the participants completed the experimental condition, the mean systolic blood pressure exhibited a decreasing trend Any differences between the experimental condition and control condition in terms of systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, and heart rate after the experiment were not significant.
Figures 3 , 4 show the EEG data. When we compared the high alpha and high beta EEG data before vs. Analysis of the 1-min EEG epochs indicated that the mean alpha wave values and mean beta wave values were both higher when the participants completed the experimental vs.
In each condition, the mean values of both the alpha and beta waves reached the highest point in the first minute of the experiment. Figure 3. Figure 4. The alpha wave values in the control condition and experimental condition were analyzed by a repeated ANOVA, and the results are shown in Figure 3. The significant time effect of alpha wave was identified [ F 4. The above results complied with those of the multivariate variance statistical test in the significance of time effect and interaction.
The beta wave values in the control condition and experimental condition were analyzed by a repeated ANOVA, and the results are shown in Figure 4. A significant time effect of beta wave was identified [ F 3.
The mentioned results complied with those of the multivariate variance statistical test in the significance of time effect and interaction. The average attention score in the experimental condition was higher than that in the control condition Figure 5. Before the experience, there were no significant differences between the control condition and the experimental condition.
In the control condition, after viewing the non-fragrant Primula, the positive scale score increased, while the negative scale score decreased. The tension and confusion subscale scores decreased significantly, while self-esteem increased significantly. After the participants under the experimental condition observed and smelled the Primula, the scores for the respective scale were upregulated.
To be specific, the average Tension, Confusion, TMD scores were downregulated significantly, and vitality score was elevated significantly. The subscale scores after experiencing the fragrant Primula were compared between the two conditions. The results showed that the average positive scale score was higher after the experimental condition vs.
The vitality subscale scores and the TMD after the experimental condition were significantly higher than those after the control condition, suggesting that the experimental condition induced greater vitality and was perceived as a better overall emotional experience compared with the control condition. Figure 6. Figure 7. We observed a downward trend in the systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure, and a significant decrease in the pulse rate in both the control and experimental conditions.
Previous studies had shown that the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems in the human body produce changes in blood pressure and heart rate when emotion is influenced by stress or relaxation Schwartz et al. As mentioned in the literatures, the stress emotion induces the rise of blood pressure and pulse rate, while the relaxed emotion produces the decrease Zanstra and Johnston, ; Hassan et al.
Our results supported previous studies on the emotional improvement caused by plants and plant fragrance Lee et al. Surprisingly, no significant differences were found in blood pressure and pulse rate between non-fragrant and fragrant Primula plants. This finding was also reported in the Chrysanthemum indicum Kim et al. Whether Primula fragrance has additional effects on sympathetic nervous system and parasympathetic nervous system needs further study combined with more physiological indicators, such as high-frequency heart rate variability and galvanic skin response.
Our results showed that the mean alpha wave value was significantly higher in the experimental condition compared with the control condition. In addition, the mean relaxation score in the experimental condition was significantly higher than that in the control condition. Alpha waves are known to be correlated with decreased mental stress, increased relaxation, and enhanced memory ability Alarcao and Fonseca, ; Lina and Karwowski, Further, several reports have shown that exposure to the natural environment induces increased alpha wave strength, which is related to physiological relaxation and recovery effects Kim et al.
This finding is consistent with that of Kim et al. Given the apparent connections between alpha wave power and relaxation Hassan et al. Therefore, one of the suggestions of this result is to use fragrant flowers in places that need to create a relaxing atmosphere, such as studios, living rooms, hospitals, and so on. Our results showed that both beta wave value and the attention score were significantly higher in the experimental condition compared with the control condition.
Previous studies had shown that the emergence and modulation of beta waves represent attention and concentration Coben et al. This result is consistent with that of Hassan et al. These related studies showed that higher beta waves were associated with improved attention. In this study, the experimental condition produced higher beta value and attention score, suggesting that fragrant Primula may improve attention to a greater extent than non-fragrant Primula.
Therefore, it may be suggested that an effective use of fragrant Primula is to be placed in the workplace, increase the concentration level of stuffs, and improve their working efficiency. The mean alpha and beta values observed in the experimental condition were both significantly higher than those in the control condition, as were the attention and relaxation scores.
This tends to infer that states of relaxation and concentration can occur simultaneously to some extent. These findings are consistent with related research on emotional changes caused by environmental contact, including virtual visual stimulation experiments Guo et al. These studies consistently reported higher mean alpha and beta values, reflecting relatively higher levels of relaxation and attention.
In terms of changes in EEG over time, the mean alpha and beta values in the two conditions reached their highest points during the first minute of the trial. Afterward, the mean alpha and beta values decreased and gradually reached a stable level. This may be due to changes in the experimental environment. Overall, the average alpha and beta values in the experimental condition were significantly higher than those in the control condition.
Our results suggest that the fragrant Primula induced a stronger physiological and psychological effect, which reflects emotional relaxation and improved attention Islarn and Ahmad, It suggested that olfaction benefited neural activity in a unique way, which could not be achieved by visual stimuli alone. The results of the POMS questionnaire in the present study indicated trends toward improvement in most of the average scores on each scale in both the control and experimental conditions, with some significant changes.
After the experiment, experimental condition got the higher positive scale score and the lower negative scale score vs. Further, the mean TMD was significantly higher in the experimental vs. The mean vitality scale score was significantly higher under the experimental condition than the control, demonstrating that aromatic stimulation of Primula can enable the participants to achieve more clear-headed and positive psychological state Takayama et al.
On a psychological level, fragrance is known to affect emotional state. Olfactory environments have been found to have an important impact on the spatial experience of residents and tourists, as well as playing a role in regulating psychology, relieving stress, and improving happiness and self-esteem Glass et al.
The SD directly reflects the subjective feelings of respondents. In this study, the SD data likely indicated that the fragrant Primula made the participants feel more relaxed and comfortable. In related studies, fresh roses were used as an olfactory stimulant, and the results of the SD also showed that participants exposed to the roses experienced a heightened sense of comfort compared with a control condition Igarashi et al.
Therefore, the results of this study were consistent with previous studies. After examining the collected physiological and psychological data, we were able to infer that the changes in these two data types were related. After contact with two kinds of Primula, the participant blood pressure and pulse had decreased by varying degrees. Further, scores on the positive subscales in the POMS had increased, and scores on the negative subscales had decreased.
These data inferred that both kinds of Primula elicited some degree of improvement in physiological and psychological state Park et al. Our finding of significantly higher alpha values and relaxation scores in the experimental condition compared with the control condition confirmed that the fragrant Primula induced a more powerful relaxation effect.
The fragrant Primula induced higher beta values, which corresponded to the significant increase in the average vigor scale score in the POMS. Taken together, these physiological and psychological results support each other, which may infer that the fragrant Primula made the participants more relaxed and more attentive, which likely had a positive effect on emotions.
In general, both kinds of Primula improved the physiological and psychological state of participants, although the fragrant Primula had a stronger effect. This study had the following limitations, which should be taken into account in future research. First, as impacted by the limitations of the experiment scale, only female college students were included here as participants.
Future studies should examine people with different demographic characteristics and cross-cultural backgrounds to explore the universality of the experimental results. Second, we only studied the effects of aromatic plant stimulation from several physiological and psychological aspects, while measurements in additional fields, such as pharmacology, biomedicine, and cognitive psychology, may be informative.
Therefore, future studies should involve a more diverse participant group, use the evaluation of more physiological indexes, and complete a more in-depth exploration of the specific mechanisms of olfactory effects.
In this study, we used blood pressure, pulse rate, EEG, POMS, and SD data to examine the effects of the fragrant Primula forbesii Franch and the non-fragrant Primula malacoides Franch on the physiological and psychological state of female college students. Compared with the non-fragrant Primula, the fragrant Primula modulated EEG and many psychological indexes in a way that reflected greater relaxation and attention.
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