Objective: The purpose of this study is to investigate if there is a physiological stress response to the visual and auditory characteristics of waterscapes. Background: Biophilic research suggests that the presence of water can reduce stress, reduce blood pressure, and increase circulation. However, water has largely been omitted from healthcare design due to concerns of cost, maintenance, waterborne pathogens, and contamination. Existing research has not yet provided a design methodology to incorporate the healing effects of water without the potential diseases, contamination, and maintenance issues associated with physical water. Given the current technological capabilities, the isolation of the auditory and visual sensory stimuli has potential to re-introduce the healing benefits of water into healthcare design. Methods: Participants were either exposed to a slow-moving or fast-moving waterscape for 20 minutes. Pre- and post-anxiety were measured using the State Trait Anxiety Scale in an online Qualtrics survey (118 participants) and through a salivary cortisol biomarker (in which 26 participants also partook). Results: The overall results demonstrate that the utilization of digital blue space was effective in reducing stress. There was no significant difference between the lake or waterfall environment in both salivary cortisol and state-trait anxiety measures. However, it is suggested that the slow and fast-moving waterscapes may be beneficial in different settings. Conclusion: Design recommendations are made regarding potential biophilic design in healthcare facilities. The utilization of sensory waterscapes can also provide a cost affordable, non-pharmacological, alternative for anxiety mitigation for patients and staff undergoing high-stress situations.

中文翻译：

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蓝色空间：提取水景的感官特征作为缓解焦虑的潜在工具


目的：本研究的目的是调查水景的视觉和听觉特征是否存在生理应激反应。背景：亲生物研究表明，水的存在可以减轻压力、降低血压并促进血液循环。然而，出于成本、维护、水传播病原体和污染的考虑，医疗设计中基本上省略了水。现有的研究尚未提供一种设计方法来整合水的治疗效果，而不会产生与物理水相关的潜在疾病、污染和维护问题。鉴于当前的技术能力，听觉和视觉感官刺激的隔离有可能将水的治疗功效重新引入医疗保健设计中。方法：参与者在缓慢移动或快速移动的水景中停留 20 分钟。使用在线 Qualtrics 调查（118 名参与者）中的状态特质焦虑量表和唾液皮质醇生物标记物（其中 26 名参与者也参与）来测量焦虑前和焦虑后的情况。结果：总体结果表明，利用数字蓝色空间可以有效减轻压力。湖泊或瀑布环境中唾液皮质醇和状态特质焦虑测量没有显着差异。然而，建议缓慢和快速移动的水景在不同的环境中可能是有益的。结论：针对医疗机构中潜在的亲生命设计提出了设计建议。感官水景的利用还可以为承受高压力情况的患者和工作人员提供一种经济实惠、非药物的缓解焦虑的替代方案。