Biophilia-Effect

graph LR ENVIRONMENT_RICH_IN_NATURE[Environments Rich in Nature Views/Imagery] ENVIRONMENT_RICH_IN_NATURE--reduce-->REDUCE_STRESS[Stress] ENVIRONMENT_RICH_IN_NATURE--enhance-->FOCUS_AND_CONCENTRATION[Focus and Concentration]

Poets and philosophers have long held that exposure to natural environments produces restorative benefits. In the past few decades, this claim has been tested empirically and, indeed, it does appear that exposure to nature confers benefits emotionally, cognitively, and physically.

For example, in a longitudinal study following seven- to twelve-year-olds through housing relocation, children who experienced the greatest increase in nature views from their windows made the greatest gains in standard tests of attention (potential confounding variables such as differences in home quality were controlled).3 A comparable effect was observed with college students based on the nature views from their dorm windows. Studies that examined the effects of gardening, backpacking, and exposure to nature pictures versus urban pictures corroborate the effect. One interesting finding is that the effect does not seem to require real plants in the environment, but mere imagery—window views, posters on the wall, and so forth seem to suffice.

Although some non-natural environments may confer similar benefits, nature scenes appear to be the most reliable and consistent source for the general population. Why should nature imagery be more restorative and conducive to concentration than, for example, urban imagery? The effect is believed to result from the differential manner in which the prefrontal cortex processes nature imagery versus urban imagery. However, given that photographs of nature versus urban environments are sufficient to trigger the effect, it is likely that the biophilia effect is more deeply rooted in the brain than the prefrontal cortex—perhaps an innate bias for greenery evolved in early humans because it conferred a selective advantage, a bias likely related to the savanna preference.

Consider the biophilia effect in the design of all environments, but in particular, environments in which learning, healing, and concentration are paramount. Although nature imagery seems to suffice in lieu of real nature exposure, the latter should be favored when possible as it is more likely to produce a strong generalizable effect. Though the amount of nature imagery required to maximize the effect is not fully understood, architectural classics such as Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater and Mies van der Rohe’s Farnsworth House suggest that more nature in the environment is generally better.