The Effect of Visual Landscape Design on the Emotional and Physiological Responses of Older Adults

Landscape quality significantly impacts residents’ well-being through visual perception, particularly among the elderly who exhibit heightened sensitivity to environmental stimuli. Therefore, this study investigates how landscape configurations influence emotional and physiological responses in older adults under controlled visual conditions. This study selected representative outdoor activity sites in northern Chinese cities and designed five landscape scenarios by adjusting the green coverage ratio (GCR) and landscape composition. Participants (mean age 64.8) reported feelings of pleasure, relaxation, and fatigue while viewing screen-based landscape images, with simultaneous recording of attention-to-interest area (AOIA), pupil diameter range (PD), and electroencephalogram (EEG) data. Research findings reveal a non-linear relationship between the GCR and emotional and physiological responses among elderly populations: when the GCR increased from 18.4% to 38.1%, participants reported significantly heightened feelings of pleasure and relaxation, alongside marked reductions in fatigue-related physiological indicators. However, when the GCR further rose to 48.5%, both reported subjective measures and physiological indicators deteriorated among elderly participants. Under equivalent green coverage conditions, water features within natural settings enhance visual focus on natural elements more effectively than purely green landscapes. Women demonstrated greater sensitivity to changes in the GCR. Correlation analysis further indicated that visual attention among the elderly positively correlated with positive emotions and negatively correlated with fatigue-related physiological responses. This research provides valuable guidance for green space design.