Effects of restorative environments on mental health and its cognitive neural mechanisms

The well-established improvement effect of restorative environments on mental health has been demonstrated by numerous studies. However, there are relatively few related environmental neuroscience studies. Therefore, regarding the cognitive neural mechanism of the restorative environment in improving mental health, there are still many unknowns. In this article, we conducted a scoping review of the research in this field to map the current evidence base. Firstly, we summarized the main viewpoints of the existing theories and analyzed the limitations of each theory. After integrating the empirical studies on the regulation of mental health by the restorative environment, it was found that exposure to the restorative environment is associated with significant changes in mental health, as well as the cerebral cortex activity, brain structure, and functional connectivity. Based on the current literature, we proposed further suggestions from the aspects of theoretical development, study design, and analysis method.