QUANTIFYING THE INFLUENCE OF GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE ON EMOTIONAL RESPONSES AND COGNITIVE FUNCTION FROM PHYSIOLOGICAL DATA

In urban environments, complex stimuli often lead to physical and mental fatigue among residents, increasing the demand for restorative environments. Previous studies have demonstrated that natural environments in the wild serve the functions of positive emotion arousal and cognitive restoration. However, little attention has been given to positive emotion arousal and cognitive restoration through exposure to green infrastructure. Based on the Stress Reduction Theory and Attention Restoration Theory, this study conducted electrocardiogram and eye-tracking experiments in a controlled laboratory to investigate how infrastructure types influence positive emotion and cognition. The results indicate significant differences between green infrastructure landscapes and grey infrastructure scenes in terms of positive emotion arousal and cognitive restoration. Green infrastructure demonstrates arousal effects and restorative benefits similar to those of natural environments. Moreover, the effects of green infrastructure on positive emotional and cognitive indicators demonstrate consistency. Furthermore, nature-relatedness plays a moderating role in the effect of infrastructure type on positive emotion arousal and cognitive restoration. These findings establish a novel experimental foundation for understanding the restorative benefits of green infrastructure and offer a theoretical framework to guide the planning, construction, and management of green infrastructure.