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The meta-analyses comprised only 16 records. Separate meta-analyses were then conducted for the effects of the absence or presence of indoor plants on human functions. A total of 42 records was included for the systematic review, which concluded that indoor plants affect participants’ functions positively, particularly those of relaxed physiology and enhanced cognition. We used a quality appraisal system to evaluate the included records. The last search date of all four databases was on 18 February 2021. Therefore, at least two databases were searched in English and in Chinese-two of the most common languages in the world. Records were extracted from the Web of Science (1990–), Scopus (1970–), WANFANG DATA (1980–), and Taiwan Periodical Literature (1970–). The eligibility criteria of this study were (1) any type of participants, (2) any type of indoor plants, (3) comparators without any plants or with other elements, (4) any type of objective human function outcomes, (5) any type of study design, and (6) publications in either English or Chinese. The objective of this study was therefore to investigate the effects of indoor plants on individuals’ physiological, cognitive, health-related, and behavioral functions by conducting a systematic review with meta-analyses to fill the research gap. The influences of indoor plants on people have been examined by only three systematic reviews and no meta-analyses.
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