Stress resilience and engagement enhancement under the usage of Igusa (Juncus effusus L. var. decipiens Buchen.) mat: a crossover study.

The world is changing rapidly, so humans need to adapt quickly to the stress they face. Various efforts have been made to strengthen resilience to stress, one of which is by promoting the use of natural materials. In the past, Igusa (Juncus effusus L. var. decipiens Buchen.) was one of the natural materials used every day in Japan for home interiors. However, the usage of this product in living environments has not been confirmed yet. To study the effects of igusa on daily life, we conducted a crossover experiment in which we imitated a living space using igusa mats and unscented polypropylene mats (control mats). During the experiment, the electrical activity of the brain, psychological changes and behavioral performance during a visual stimulus discrimination task were recorded along with post-analysis of the material emitted by those mats. The results of this study confirm that the volatiles emitted from the Igusa mat enhance the engagement level and stress resilience during the presented task. Additionally, the room with an Igusa mat showed ability to keep the room humidity stable. This experiment has been registered with the UMIN Clinical Trials Registry under the ID: UMIN000053368 on 19/01/2024.