RESUMO
Objectives: A randomized controlled experimental design that combines exercise and music intervention was adopted in this study to verify whether this approach could help improve human affect. The differences in the effect of music listening on affective improvement were compared in four different periods: before, during, and after aerobic power cycling exercise and the whole exercise course. Method: A total of 140 subjects aged 19-30 years (average age: 23.6 years) were recruited and randomly divided into four music intervention groups, namely, the pre-exercise, during-exercise, post-exercise, and the whole-course groups. The subjects' demographic and sociological variables and daily physical activities were collected using questionnaires. Individual factors, such as the subjects' noise sensitivity, personality traits, and degree of learning burnout, were collected via scale scoring. A laboratory in Zhejiang Normal University was selected as the experimental site. The testing procedure can be summarized as follows. In a quiet environment, the subjects were asked to sit quietly for 5 min after completing a preparation work, and then they were informed to take a pre-test. The four subject groups wore headphones and completed 20 min of aerobic cycling (i.e., 7 min of moderate-intensity cycling [50%*HRR + RHR] + 6 min of low-intensity interval cycling [30%*HRR + RHR] + 7 min of moderate-intensity cycling [50%*HRR + RHR] after returning to a calm state (no less than 20 min) for post-testing. The affect improvement indicators (dependent variables) collected in the field included blood pressure (BP), positive/negative affect, and heart rate variability indicators (RMSSD, SDNN, and LF/HF). Results: 1) Significant differences were found in the participants' systolic BP (SBP) indices and the effect of improvement of the positive affect during the exercise-music intervention among the four groups at different durations for the same exercise intensity (F = 2.379, p = 0.030, ɳp 2 = 0.058; F = 2.451, p = 0.043, ɳp 2 = 0.091). 2) Music intervention for individuals during exercise contribute more to the reduction of SBP than the other three time periods (F = 3.170, p = 0.047, ɳp 2 = 0.068). Improvement in the participants' negativity affective score was also better during exercise, and it was significantly different than the other three time periods (F = 5.516, p = 0.006, ɳp 2 = 0.113). No significant differences were found in the improvement effects of the other effective indicators for the four periods. Conclusion: Exercise combined with music intervention has a facilitative effect on human affect improvement, and listening to music during exercise has a better impact on affective improvement than music interventions at the other periods. When people perform physical activities, listening to music during exercise positively affects the progress effect among them.
RESUMO
Objectives: With the deepening of non-drug intervention research on human mental health, more and more attention has been paid to the benefits of horticultural activities and green exercise on physical and psychological health. This study compared the affect improvement between horticultural activities with the same intensity and green exercise and that with or without green plants to verify the value of horticultural activities and green exercise in improving human affect and the importance of green plants. Methods: A total of 160 subjects aged 18-26 years (average age 22.5 years) were recruited and randomly divided into a control group, a horticultural activity group with green plants, a horticultural activity group without green plants, and a green exercise group. Demographics, sociological variables, and daily physical activity levels were investigated. Green space at Zhejiang Normal University was selected as the test site. After finishing the preparation work, the subjects sat quietly for 8 min before the pre-test. The horticultural group completed 20 min of horticultural activities {8 min of digging [40%*HRR(heart rate reserve) + RHR(resting heart rate)] + 8 min of transplantation [(50%*HRR + RHR) + 4 min of watering (30%*HRR + RHR)]}. The group returned to a calm state (no less than 20 min) for the post-test. The green exercise group completed a 20-min power bike ride. The activity intensity and activity time of the green exercise group were determined according to the activity intensity and time of the horticultural group. Dependent variables were collected, including blood pressure, positive/negative affects, heart rate variability (RMSSD, SDNN, and LF/HF), and controlled covariate environmental parameters (field temperature, humidity, and noise). Results: (1) A significant difference was observed in the improvement effect except for negative affect between the green horticultural activity group and the green exercise group (F = 3.310; ɳp2 = 0.046; p = 0.037). No significant difference was observed in other affect indicators. (2) In the same pattern of with and without green plant horticultural activity group, the green plant horticultural activity group had a better effect on the improvement of affect, and the two groups had a better negative affect (F = 3.310; ɳp2 = 0.046; p = 0.037), SDNN index of heart rate variability(F = 1.035; ɳp2 = 0.015; p = 0.039), and RMSSD index (F = 2.225; ɳp2 = 0.032; p = 0.014), and no significant difference was observed in the improvement effect of other affect indicators between the two groups. Conclusions: Having green horticulture can give the same intensity as green exercise and affect improvement. Findings suggest that people can choose green exercise or horticultural activities according to their preferences and physical characteristics in the two physical activities. Under the same pattern of horticultural activities, green plants are the key factor in improving the affect of horticultural activities. Choosing suitable plant types in horticultural activities is positively significant in enhancing affect.
