indoors – Humans in Nature

What happens when you bring nature indoors? This infographic summarizes some of positive effects on people.

References

Berger, J., Essah, E., Blanusa, T., & Beaman, C. P. (2022). The appearance of indoor plants and their effect on people’s perceptions of indoor air quality and subjective well-being. Building and Environment, 219, 109151. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2022.109151 

East building addition honored for Green Roof, walls. News Post. (n.d.). Retrieved February 26, 2023, from https://www.d125.org/about/news/news-post/~board/district-news/post/east-building-addition-honored-for-green-roof-walls 

Lissau, R. (2019, August 19). Stevenson High Addition creates ‘tranquil’ atmosphere for students, teachers. Daily Herald. Retrieved February 28, 2023, from https://www.dailyherald.com/news/20190818/stevenson-high-addition-creates-tranquil-atmosphere-for-students-teachers 

Lee, M.-sun, Lee, J., Park, B.-J., & Miyazaki, Y. (2015, April 28). Interaction with indoor plants may reduce psychological and physiological stress by suppressing autonomic nervous system activity in young adults: A randomized crossover study – journal of physiological anthropology. SpringerLink. Retrieved February 26, 2023, from https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s40101-015-0060-8?correlationId=fcdc01ff-8f63-4009-9356-831acdf08072&error=cookies_not_supported&code=10502c62-f5e9-47c2-8da8-41342a50b5ec

Research

Exercise has been shown to improve psychological well-being. However, new research provides evidence that green exercise, which is exercising outdoors, has additional benefits. One study compared 4 groups of participants. The first group, called the green control group, cycled outdoors in greenery while the second group, the indoor control group, cycled indoors. The third and fourth groups watched a promotional video on the benefits of green exercise. The third group known as the green-expectancy group watched the video then cycled outdoors and the fourth group known as the indoor-expectancy group cycled indoors after watching the video. Once the exercise was completed, attitudes toward green exercise, vigor, perceived exertion, and self-esteem were assessed, as well as how knowing the positive effects of outdoor exercise before working out can improve the overall benefits.