How taking pictures of landscapes affects the mental stress of young adults.

Abstract

In today's fast-paced society, escalating work and academic pressures have led to rising stress levels. While numerous studies have explored adolescent mental health, there has been a lack of focus on "educational stress" among Chinese students. This study sought to understand the psychological and physiological effects of educational stress in Chinese university students. We studied the impact of a 5-min nature photography session on campus compared with a control activity of photographing urban settings near campus. Data were collected using blood pressure measurements, electroencephalography (EEG), the Semantic Differential Method (SDM), and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) in order to understand psychophysiological reactions. The findings from the SDM and STAI assessments indicated that students felt slightly more at ease and considerably more relaxed, had a heightened sense of naturalness, and experienced reduced anxiety after engaging in nature photography compared with urban photography. Notably, we observed that both systolic and diastolic blood pressure dropped by many values and there were noticeable EEG changes among participants. The results suggest that a brief 5-min nature photography activity can effectively reduce mental stress in Chinese university students.