113. The influence of healing health hotel space design on elderly anxiety and depression

Abstract Background With the increasing prevalence of anxiety and depression in aging societies, non-pharmacological interventions have garnered significant attention. Healing-oriented hotels, with their emotion-centered spatial design that integrates natural elements, optimizes sensory comfort, and employs intergenerationally-friendly circulation planning, have emerged as a novel vehicle for non-pharmacological interventions. These spaces not only serve restorative functions but also, through meticulous design involving lighting, materials, layout, and interaction with nature, directly impact the psychological state of older adults, alleviating loneliness and negative emotions. This provides a practical setting for investigating the mechanisms through which built environments influence the mental health of the elderly. While existing research predominantly employs environmental psychology to investigate spatial effects on emotional regulation, most studies rely on subjective questionnaires rather than objective physiological data. Although therapeutic space design is recognized for its potential to modulate the nervous system through sensory stimulation, the underlying physiological mechanisms keep unclear. This paper aims to quantify the actual regulatory effects of therapeutic wellness hotel space design on elderly individuals’ anxiety and depression by monitoring objective physiological indicators, thereby providing evidence-based data support for wellness environment design. Methods 38 healthy elderly people aged 65-80 were casually divided into an experimental group (EG) (staying in a therapeutic room that integrates natural light rhythm and bio-friendly design) and a control group (CG) (staying in a standard business room) for a 5-day stay experiment. This study completely abandoned subjective scales, using physiological indicators as evaluation criteria: (1) Morning saliva samples were collected to measure cortisol concentration, assessing stress levels in the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis (HPA axis); (2) Heart rate variability (HRV) was monitored, with the Standard Deviation of Normal-to-Normal intervals (SDNN) and Root Mean Square of Successive Differences (RMSSD) selected as key indicators reflecting parasympathetic nervous system activity and emotional stability. All data were collected at baseline and the same time point at the end of the experiment, with repeated measures ANOVA used to test group differences and time effects. Results After intervention, residing in the age-appropriately designed hotel spatial environment the EG group showed a significant decrease in physiological stress levels and improvement in autonomic nervous function, with significant differences compared to the CG. Salivary cortisol decreased from 16.42 ± 3.15 nmol/L to 9.85 ± 2.24 nmol/L, and HRV-SDNN increased from 32.54 ± 8.67 ms to 46.12 ± 9.43 ms, with interaction effects p<.001 for both. No significant changes were observed in the CG. This indicates that the intervention effectively reduced stress and enhanced cardiac autonomic nervous regulation. Detailed data analysis results are listed in Table 1. Discussion The study results, supported by objective data, confirm that therapeutic wellness hotel space design can significantly improve the physiological and emotional characteristics of older adults. The decrease in cortisol and the increase in HRV (Human Risk Value) clearly point to the activating effect of the spatial environment on the parasympathetic nervous system. This indicates that optimizing the lighting environment and spatial layout is an effective “passive medical intervention,” providing empirical evidence for the precision healing transformation of the wellness industry. Future research should explore the independent effects of design elements and standardized solutions. Funding No. 2025KY1933.