Restorative Properties and Calming Effects of Bonfire Videos: An Examination Focusing on Attention Restoration Theory

Abstract

This study applied the framework of Kaplan and Kaplan’s (1989) Attention Restoration Theory (ART) to bonfire imagery and examined its calming effects and restorative properties through a video-viewing experiment. Participants were randomly assigned to one of three groups—bonfire video (bonfire group), forest video (forest group), or conference-room video (control group)—and the experiment was conducted online. A two-way ANOVA with time and group using the General Affect Scale and the Japanese version of the Restorative Outcome Scale (ROS-J) showed that the bonfire and forest groups exhibited significantly greater calmness than the conference-room group. Furthermore, a one-way ANOVA using the Japanese version of the Perceived Restorativeness Scale (PRS) to evaluate restorative properties indicated that, on the PRS subscales of Being Away, Fascination, Scope, Compatibility, and Preference, both the bonfire and forest groups scored significantly higher than the conference-room group. These results demonstrate that bonfire videos possess restorative properties comparable to those of forest videos. Notably, on the Compatibility and Preference subscales, the bonfire video scored significantly higher than the forest video, indicating that bonfire imagery is perceived as more compatible and better aligned with participants’ preferences.