Greenery is not only soothing to the eyes but is also beneficial. And, now a new study suggests that even virtual exposure to greenery is good for pregnant women.
A research team from the University of California, US, conducted the study on 63 healthy pregnant women. During the research, pregnant women were shown three five-minute-long, 360-degree videos of urban environments: one showed a park-like setting, the second video had a street view with green space, and the third featured a street view without green space.
In that, they found that the virtual exposure to an environment filled with greenery was associated with lower systolic blood pressure, reduced salivary alpha-amylase (an indicator of stress), improved positive emotions and decreased negative emotions in comparison to the non-green space environment.
Besides this, the study also found that exposure to greenery reduces the risk of mortality, Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.