The Differences of Emotional Restoration Effects of Colored-Leaves Plant Communities in Urban Parks

The accelerating urbanization has exacerbated mental health challenges faced across social groups. College students, as an important group in the society, often experience multiple pressures from academic demands, familial responsibilities, and career uncertainties, making their emotional states especially susceptible to environmental influences. This study investigated and sampled the colored-leaves plant communities in urban parks of Suzhou, selected red–green palette, yellow–green palette, and single green plant communities with varied color proportions, and combined psychological indicators (PANAS scale) and physiological indicators (EEG data) to scientifically examine the differences in the influence on college students’ emotional restoration. The results included: 1) all plant communities significantly increased respondents’ positive emotions and reduced negative emotions; 2) in the comparative experiment of red–green plant communities, single green plant communities had the best effect on emotional restoration; 3) in the comparative experiment of yellow–green plant communities, those with yellow color proportion of 75% ∼ 90% and 45% ∼ 60% had the best emotional restoration effect; and 4) when comparing the plant communities with the same red and yellow color proportion, the yellow–green plant community performed better than the red–green plant community. This study responds to the urgent need to pay attention to the mental health of the youth in the current urbanization process by exploring the differences of emotional restoration effects of colored-leaves plant communities. It aims to provide scientific vegetation planting and configuration suggestions for emotional restoration environments, as well as theoretical guidance for the construction of restorative landscapes.