Restorative Elements at the Computer Workstation A Comparison of Live Plants and Inanimate Objects With and Without Window View

• Published in: Environment and behavior Vol. 47; no. 3; pp. 288 - 303
• Main Authors: Evensen, Katinka H., Raanaas, Ruth K., Hagerhall, Caroline M., Johansson, Maria, Patil, Grete G.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Los Angeles, CA SAGE Publications 01.04.2015; SAGE PUBLICATIONS, INC
• Subjects: Applied Psychology; Building Technologies; Civil Engineering; Comparative analysis; Computers; Engineering and Technology; Enrichment; Flowers & plants; Husbyggnad; indoor plants; Interior design; mental fatigue; Mental stress; natural elements; Object; Occupational psychology; office design; Office layout; Offices; people−plant interactions; Perceptions; Plant products; Psychological effects; Quality of work; Recovery; Restoration; Samhällsbyggnadsteknik; Social Sciences Interdisciplinary; Stresses; Tasks; Teknik; Tillämpad psykologi; Tvärvetenskapliga studier; Visual perception; Windows & doors; Windows (computer programs); Work stations; Working conditions; Workstations; natural elements; people–plant interactions; mental fatigue; indoor plants; office design
• ISSN: 0013-9165; 1552-390X; 1552-390X
• DOI: 10.1177/0013916513499584

The objective of the study was to test whether live plants on computer workstations with and without window view had restorative effects. Guided by Stress Recovery Theory and Attention Restoration Theory a mixed randomized experiment was conducted exploring restorative effects of plants, including mediating effects of perceived fascination. Eighty-five participants carried out a 1-hr work session with repeated tasks demanding directed attention in an office with one of three interior conditions: live plants, inanimate objects and control, all with and without a window view. Plant presence led to greater perceived fascination, but perceived fascination was not related to either self-reported restoration or directed attention capacity. The presence of plants during work did not have superior restorative effects compared with inanimate objects, neither with nor without access to a window view. However, environmental enrichment with either plants or inanimate objects at the computer workstation seemed to provide a restorative potential, which should be investigated further.