Abstract Studies have found that urban environments have a negative impact on physical and mental health. This is due to urban stressors such as increased noise levels, higher crime rates and rampant pollution. Moreover, living in building-dominant surroundings increases stress levels. There’s growing scientific evidence that forest therapy is a cost-effective method of stress management, and also has the ability to improve physical and mental wellbeing. The concept of forest therapy was first developed by the Japanese Forestry Agency in 1982, where it is known as “shinrin-yoku”. Over the years, there has been growing interest in forest therapy research. These studies usually focus on forest therapy’s effects on human health, from physiological and psychosocial perspectives, but there are also studies on its potential in treating specific illnesses such as hypertension and depression. By analysing current research frameworks, methodologies and research findings, we would gain a better insight and understanding of forest therapy; Allowing researchers, medical professionals and the general public to fully utilize this cost-effective form of preventative medicine. Therefore, the core objective of this review paper is to provide: a) An in-depth analysis of current forest therapy research, from physiological and psychosocial perspectives, b) To provide a systematic summary of current forest therapy research and c) To encourage healthcare professionals and the general public to fully utilize forest therapy as a form of preventive medicine. We reviewed current literature on forest therapy (2010–2020) using two electronic databases (ScienceDirect and PubMed), and selected 27 articles for this review. Based on the research data, we believe that forest therapy plays an important role in preventive medicine and stress management for all age groups. However, there is a need for more research on its sustained effects and for multi-disciplinary studies, especially with healthcare professionals.

中文翻译：

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森林疗法的生理和心理社会效应：系统评价

摘要 研究发现，城市环境对身心健康有负面影响。这是由于城市压力因素造成的，例如噪音水平增加、犯罪率上升和污染严重。此外，生活在以建筑为主的环境中会增加压力水平。越来越多的科学证据表明，森林疗法是一种具有成本效益的压力管理方法，并且还具有改善身心健康的能力。森林疗法的概念最早由日本林业厅于 1982 年提出，在那里被称为“shinrin-yoku”。多年来，人们对森林疗法研究越来越感兴趣。这些研究通常从生理和心理社会的角度关注森林疗法对人类健康的影响，但也有关于它在治疗高血压和抑郁症等特定疾病方面的潜力的研究。通过分析当前的研究框架、方法和研究结果，我们将更好地洞察和理解森林疗法；允许研究人员、医疗专业人员和公众充分利用这种具有成本效益的预防医学形式。因此，本综述的核心目标是：a) 从生理学和社会心理的角度对当前的森林疗法研究进行深入分析，b) 提供当前森林疗法研究的系统总结和 c) 鼓励医疗保健专业人士和公众充分利用森林疗法作为一种预防医学形式。我们使用两个电子数据库（ScienceDirect 和 PubMed）回顾了当前关于森林疗法（2010-2020）的文献，并选择了 27 篇文章进行本次审查。根据研究数据，我们认为森林疗法在所有年龄段的预防医学和压力管理中都发挥着重要作用。但是，需要对其持续影响和多学科研究进行更多研究，尤其是与医疗保健专业人员合作。