The Influence of Campus Landscape Color Environment on Students’ Emotions: A Case Study of Shandong Agricultural University

As the daily activity space for students, the external campus environment directly impacts their physical and mental health. While previous studies have demonstrated the restorative effects of outdoor environments on emotional recovery and stress relief, the influence of color elements in the campus environment on individuals remains underexplored. To address this gap, this study investigates the influence of colors in the outdoor environments of campuses built in different periods on the physiological and psychological indicators of university students. The HSV color model was used to analyze environmental colors, while virtual reality (VR) and electroencephalography (EEG) were combined to collect brain activity data, along with synchronous collection of subjective emotional data, providing a comprehensive assessment of individuals’ perceived restoration levels. The results indicate the following: (1) Environmental colors with high brightness and low saturation are more relaxing, and environments with a high proportion of plant colors and a low proportion of building and pavement colors yield the best restorative effects. (2) A comparison across three campuses revealed that the relaxation effects on emotions are sports areas > living areas > teaching areas > learning areas. Among these, neutral and warm colors were found to be more relaxing, and neutral tones within the green (G) hue contain most of the significantly stimulated EEG signals associated with relaxation. This study demonstrates the important role of campus environmental colors in improving students’ mental health, providing theoretical support and practical guidance for color design in restorative campus landscapes.