Why some gardens are more calming than others

When was the last time you sat quietly in a garden, and let your eyes wander without a goal? Observation gardens are built for moments like these. They give people space to simply look, breathe, and feel present.

But beyond offering a peaceful break, these green spaces may do something even more valuable – they could help us manage stress.

Some gardens are more relaxing

A group of scientists recently explored why some gardens are more calming and relaxing than others. The research was focused on Kyoto’s Murin-an garden, a famous example of Japanese design, and compared it to a less carefully maintained university garden.

The team’s findings reveal why these special green spaces soothe the mind. The study was a joint effort by Nagasaki University and the University of Pittsburgh.

“Unlike most gardens where a visitor is expected to move through its space and appreciate its elements from many different visual perspectives, an observation garden is designed to be viewed while seated at a single vantage point,” noted the researchers.

“Indeed, the location of this vantage point is a critical design feature that is carefully chosen to maximize the impact of the visual scene.”

Studying the calming effect of gardens

The research team set out to investigate how the design of a garden affects our stress levels.

The scientists brought 16 students to two different gardens in Kyoto. One was Murin-an, known for its meticulous design and care. The other was a university garden that was more ordinary and less groomed.

Each participant spent seven minutes in each setting, observing the scenery. During this time, researchers tracked their eye movements and heart rates. The experts also asked the students about their mood before and after each visit.

“Well-designed Japanese gardens have evocative and abstract sceneries designed in great detail. These sceneries encourage the viewer to observe longer to understand the composition and meaning of the scenery, while the gaze wanders more and faster,” said Professor Seiko Goto of Nagasaki University, who specializes in landscape architecture.

Gaze patterns that ease the mind

The results showed clear differences. In the Murin-an garden, people’s eyes moved more quickly across the scene. Their gazes shifted from one detail to another, covering a wider area. This was not the case in the university garden, where people mostly stared at the central features.

“We found a correlation of rapid gaze shifts and a reduction in heart rate and improved mood. The reduction in stress experienced by viewers of a well-crafted Japanese garden is largely due to the design features that lead the viewer to engage in frequent, rapid horizontal shifts in gaze,” explained Professor Karl Herrup, a neurobiologist at the University of Pittsburgh.

Maintenance also played a key role. A clean, well-pruned space invites the eye to keep moving.

“To induce such close attention of the viewer, not only quality of design but also quality of the maintenance is important,” said Professor Goto. “Viewers’ gaze keeps moving to seek more fascination on the well pruned trees and speckless ground.”

Gardens as everyday therapy

Beyond visual tracking, participants reported feeling more relaxed in the Murin-an garden. They liked it more, felt calmer, and expressed a stronger desire to return. Their heart rates also slowed, hinting at a true physiological response.

Interestingly, both gardens had similar features: water elements, stones, trees, and a bridge. But the way these elements were arranged made all the difference. In Murin-an, the design leads the eyes sideways, flowing with the layout. The university garden, by contrast, drew attention to one central spot.

“The Murin-an garden was designed as a viewing garden that should be appreciated from a specific vantage point relative to the design elements,” said Herrup. “It is this attention to detail that coaxes the eyes into the patterns that relieve stress.”

A simple pleasure with big potential

The researchers acknowledge some limitations of their study. They had a short window of access to the gardens, and all of the participants were university students.

Yet, previous research suggests that the calming effects of gardens apply across different ages, backgrounds, and even cognitive conditions. The experts also see potential for these findings to support people with neurodegenerative diseases.

“Gardens are generally seen as a hobby for the wealthy, but if appreciating Japanese gardens can induce a relaxing effect, which intuitively everyone feels, it could be used as a form of therapy in hospitals and welfare facilities,” Goto concluded.

“I think it would be good if Japanese gardens are built not just as a luxury but as a means of mental care in our aging society.”

The full study was published in the journal Frontiers in Neuroscience.

—–

Like what you read? Subscribe to our newsletter for engaging articles, exclusive content, and the latest updates. 

Check us out on EarthSnap, a free app brought to you by Eric Ralls and Earth.com.

—–