Report on a Pilot Study of the Garden as a Place of Health and Well-Being

This chapter presents the findings of a pilot study into the comparative benefits of resting inside in a quiet room and outside in a garden space, conducted in the summer of 2016 at Swansea University. It examines both subjective feelings of well-being alongside objective measures such as systolic blood pressure and heart rate. Preliminary results indicate that while rest itself could have beneficial outcomes, the effects of being in the garden space showed a more positive benefit.