Stressed? Try reconnecting with nature

Take a look around you. Now think: how many plants did you see? Did you hear animals, birds, running water?

We live and work in highly constructed environments that move us further and further from nature. Bid and proposal managers especially can tend to work in rectangular offices, under synthetic lights and replacing the chirp of birds with the hum of air conditioning.

Needless to say: it's not great for us. Human society has evolved over the last few thousand years. And our biology has evolved over the last few million. But our work practices and modern life have only come about in the last two centuries.

Substantial bodies of research have shown a preference for 'natural' environments over constructed ones. Kaplan and Kaplan especially (1989) developed a detailed ranking system showing the levels of preference for Savannah-type scenes: those with wide, open spaces and some trees and bushes to offer shelter and food. Our preference for these scenes is unsurprising: we have numerous biological, psychological and neurological systems that scan specifically for food, shelter and signs of danger.

One theory explaining our preference for natural over constructed environments relates to the levels of complexity in the visual (or auditory) field. Forsythe (2011) showed that we base our preference for scene structure around its 'fractal complexity' - the number of shapes and jagged lines in the outline or silhouette. Constructed spaces, with their neat angular lines and uniform lighting, tend to offer very little in the way of fractal complexity. However, trees in a skyline, birdsong or rivers and moving shapes all increase the complexity of a scene and increase preference.

Up until now, it would be easy to pass this off as aesthetics. A piece of research to be carried out next year (watch this space for Colquitt, 2019!) will investigate if these subtle preferences translate to bid and proposal documents. Can a reader be influenced by natural imagery over constructed or abstract imagery? However, these preferences go much deeper than just the superficial. Research shows our health is at stake if we don't pay attention.

Ulrich (1979, 1991) showed that stressed individuals feel significantly better after viewing scenes of nature rather than urban and constructed scenes. Larsen and colleagues showed that putting more plants in a workspace increased productivity, positive attitudes and perceptions - even when participants were unaware of the plants being there. Alverson (2010) showed that patients exposed to natural sights and sounds supported participants' recovery from a stressful task. And Ulrich (1983) showed that hospital patients recovering from surgery tended to progress more quickly, and develop fewer complications when placed in a room with a natural view.

Modern life can make us feel pretty spread thin. We only have so much attention to go around. And when we do use our attention, we use energy and place our cognitive systems under strain. This strain leads to fatigue. It is with this approach that Kaplan and Kaplan (1989, 1995) developed the Attention Restoration Theory. Here, they described the four key qualities of a natural environment that, if present, work to relax and energize us. Alternatively, if they are missing, they work to stress and fatigue us:

1.  Fascination and complexity: The fascination of sensory qualities have an inherent appeal
2.  Separation: Being away from the demands of regular life 
3.  Extent – a sense of vastness or connection between the experience of a place and a person’s knowledge of the wider world 
4.  Compatibility between what a person wants to do and what they can do in that place (e.g. space to stretch out, food to eat, people to interact with). 

Modern life removes these elements and places severe demands on our psychological and biological systems. Offices are sleek and angular to cut down on visual distractions. They are a social melting pot, full of the tools and people we need to achieve our defined demands. They are closed spaces, with walls and limits within sight of every direction. And they often place limits on conflicting biological needs: they limit space for relaxation, restrict access to food and water and offer little shelter from other people (and hidden dangers).

All is not lost! Armed with this new knowledge, you can take a simple checklist for before, during and after work. This is especially useful in stressful situations - such as bid and proposal projects or the end of the year for salespeople (and visiting family):

Increase the fractal complexity of your environment:

Sights and sounds      

•  Add plants and complex shapes to your room, covering exposed corners especially
• Play soft (almost inaudible) background noise such as birdsong, running water or tides/waves - there are radio stations on Apple/Google/Spotify/Calm Radio dedicated to exactly that
• Place Savannah-like scenes on office walls to give a perception of depth

People      

• Look for which meetings you can move outside. Do you really need a laptop and screen? Or can you take it for a walk into a large, open space?

Recharge

• Find a recharge space      
• Find a local park or canal/river on your way to your lunch spot of choice and give preference to that route.
• Experience vastness - make sure your exposure to walls or fences is limited
• Complexity is better - look for flowerbeds over mown grass, ivy over bare brick and treelines over flat horizons

Recharge before and after

• The evidence shows that people experiencing a restorative environment can handle stress better, as well as recovering from it more effectively. Arm yourself with a calm mind and body before a stressful day, and then top it off afterwards/

It's a busy and stressful time of year, folks. Look after yourselves!

References

Alverson, J., Wiens, S. and Nilsson, M. (2010) 'Stress recovery during exposure to nature sound and environmental noise' International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, volume 7, pages 1036-1046.

DOI 10.3390/ijerph7031036

Forsyth, A., Nadal, M., Sheehy, N., Cela-Conde, C.J., Sawey, M. (2011) 'Predicting beauty: Fractal dimension and visual complexity in art'  British Journal of Psychology, volume 102, pages 49-70.

DOI 10.1348/000071260X498958

Kaplan, R. and Kaplan, S. (1989) 'The experience of nature: a psychological perspective' Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. UK. ISBN: 0521349397

Kaplan, S. (1995) 'The restorative benefits of nature: towards an integrative framework' Journal of Environmental Psychology, volume 15, pages 169-182.

Accessed at https://ac.els.cdn.com on 17-11-2018

Ulrich, R. (1979) 'Visual landscapes and psychological wellbeing' Landscape research, volume 4:1, pages 17-23

DOI 10.1080/01426397908705892

Ulrich, R. (1983) 'Aesthetic and Affective response to Natural Environment' in Altman, I. and Wohlwill, J. (eds), Human behavior and environment, Vol. 6: Behavior and Natural Environmen., New York: Plenum, 85-125. Article accessed 17th Nov 2018, DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4613-3539_4

Ulrich, R., Simons, R., Losito, B., Fiorito, E., Miles, M. and Zelson, M. (1991) 'Stress recovery during exposure to natural and urban environments' Journal of Environmental Psychology vol. 11, pages 201-230

Accessed at https://ac-els-cdn-com.libezproxy.open.ac.uk/S0272494405801847/1-s2.0-S0272494405801847-main.pdf?_tid=822506cc-203b-40a3-bdb7-3334f23b4722&acdnat=1542455991_a10130c513d8e7bb340bb4879ed3a6e3 on 17th November 2018.