Gardening can stimulate functional connectivity, activation of positive emotions and awareness in the brain.
This is highlighted by a research by the National Taiwan University of Taipei, published in the HortScience journal.
The study, involving 23 boys and girls with an average age of 23, was conducted to explore emotional responses after participating in gardening activities, with functional magnetic resonance imaging and mood states profile used respectively for physiological and psychological measurements.
First, baseline brain activation levels were determined prior to any engagement in these activities.
A week later, the participants instead took part in a 5-week gardening project.
MRI was used to detect physiological changes during different stages of this activity, namely preparation and planting, fertilizing, weeding and harvesting.
The results show that the functional connectivity of brain regions was activated,