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forest bathing and mental wellbeing: what the evidence shows

森林浴 · forest bathing · Last updated:

hintl editorial team / Mental Wellbeing Desk

Mental wellbeing desk — research review

Research data last updated: |How this works

Key points

Multiple human studies report a positive effect.

For stress · 5 studies · 3,597 participants

hintl Evidence Score 85/100 (5 studies, confidence high).

Evidence at a glance

How does forest bathing affect stress?

promising
85/100 Evidence ScoreConfidence: high5 studies1 RCT
How the 85 is built
Study design base
meta-analysis or systematic review
+40/40
RCT bonus
1 RCT
+5/15
Study count bonus
5 studies
+10/10
Participants bonus
Total 3,597 participants
+20/20
Consistency bonus
human studies agree
+10/10

Scoring method

Multiple human studies report a positive effect.

  • 5 human studies (3,597 participants across the 2 with counts recorded; 3 review/meta-analysis not counted individually)
  • Studies point in broadly the same direction
  • Still unknown: few longer-duration studies

References

This page's evaluation is based on the following peer-reviewed studies (4). Each link goes directly to the primary source (PubMed / DOI).

  1. Forest Bathing (Shinrin-yoku) and Preventive Medicine: Immune Modulation, Stress Regulation, Neurocognitive Resilience, and Neurological Health.systematic review · Medical sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026
  2. The effects of forest bathing on psychological well-being: A systematic review and meta-analysis.meta-analysis · International journal of mental health nursing · 2023
  3. Effects of forest bathing (shinrin-yoku) on levels of cortisol as a stress biomarker: a systematic review and meta-analysis.meta-analysis · International journal of biometeorology · 2019
  4. Shinrin-Yoku (Forest Bathing) and Nature Therapy: A State-of-the-Art Review.systematic review · International journal of environmental research and public health · 2017

Things to keep in mind

  • If you have any medical concerns, do not push yourself and check with a qualified professional.

Related items

Evidence Scores are computed mechanically from the published research (PubMed / Semantic Scholar / OpenAlex): study design, participant numbers, and consistency across studies. An LLM is used only to extract study data, never to decide a score.

This is research-based information, not medical advice, and not a diagnosis. Consult a qualified professional about your own situation.

How the Evidence Score is calculated

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hintl editorial team / Mental Wellbeing Desk

Mental wellbeing desk — research review

We continuously check the published research and translate the technical language into plain terms. The policy is to report a trend in the research, never a flat claim that something "works".

This article was produced by an editorial system from published research and is managed by the editor-in-responsibility (Takuya Hirata, representative of AJARA LLC).