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Using online surveys Menzel and teammates studied how expectations influence the consequences of seeing photographs of nature.  The research team report that “viewing nature photographs can lead to subjective restoration, as well as improvement in mood and cognitive function. . . . [investigators] manipulated knowledge about physical and mental health effects related to nature experiences before participants viewed nature photographs . . . actual restoration was positively related to expected restoration. Moreover, measured knowledge about beneficial effects of nature and - even stronger - reported restorative effects of the participants’ last stay in nature positively predicted restoration evoked by the nature photographs. Overall, our results show that knowledge about beneficial effects of nature exposure can be predictive for restoration evoked by visual representations of nature. . . . . virtual nature can offer indirect contact to nature and thereby restoration, especially when no direct contact is possible.”

Claudia Menzel, Miriam Gessler, Sonja Hoffmann, and Stefan Kenst. 2024. “Knowing and Experiencing the Benefits: Factors Influencing Restoration Evoked by Nature Photographs.” Journal of Environmental Psychology, vol. 96, 102322, https:/doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2024.102322

Okumura and colleagues found that the names we give odors influence our responses to them.  The group shares that “Olfactory perception depends not only on olfactory inputs but also on semantic context. . . . We found that identical odorants labeled with different words were perceived differently. . . . These results suggest that multi-voxel patterns of piriform activity can be modulated by semantic context, possibly due to communication between the piriform cortex and the semantic and memory regions.”

Toshiki Okumura, Ikuhiro Kida, Atsushi Yokoi, Tomoya Nakai, Shinji Nishimoto, Kazushige Touhara, and Masako Okamoto. 2024. “Semantic Context-Dependent Neural Representations of Odors in the Human Piriform Cortex Revealed by 7T MRI.” Human Brain Mapping, vol. 45, no. 6, e26681, https://doi.org/10.1002/hbm.26681

Romero and teammates clarify how to best share numeric information.  They report that “Numerical information can be communicated using different number formats, such as digits (“5”) or number words (“five”). . . . Via six experimental studies, two online ad campaigns, and one large secondary dataset analysis, we find that digits, compared to number words, positively affect consumer behavior. We refer to this phenomenon as the number format effect. We further show that the number format effect occurs because consumers feel that digits (vs. number words) are the right way to present numerical information: digits lead to a sense of feeling right that then affects consumer behavior. Finally, we show that the number format effect is amplified when credibility of the source of information is low, and attenuated [reduced] when source credibility is high.”

Marisabel Romero, Adam Craig, Milica Mormann, and Anand Kumar. “Are ’10-Grams of Protein’ Better Than ‘Ten Grams of Protein’? How Digits Versus Number Words Influence Consumer Judgments.” Journal of Consumer Research, in press, https://doi.org/10.1093/jcr/ucae030

Lucius and Damberg studied creativity in workplaces and elsewhere via a survey.  They report that “although creativity may not be directly impacted by proximity, low informal or social interaction in a work context will lead eventually to lower well-being and can critically endanger creativity. . . . employees who are able to select their workplaces according to their tasks tend to be more creative. . . .  shared desk principles. . . . [do] not seem to affect creativity as it rather enables flexibility to sit with different project teams or colleagues. . . .  workplace design is positively associated with creative problem-solving capacity of employees. . . . Social interaction as a driver for creativity should be brought into focus leading to offices that resemble inspiring spaces for intentional collaboration, spontaneous interaction, and more importantly ongoing communication.”    

Zita Lucius and Svenja Damberg.  2024. “Why We Need Employees Back at the Office:  The Effect of Workplace Design on Creativity in Organizations.” Creativity and Innovation Management, https://doi.org/10.1111/caim.12611

Yang and associates studied responses to urban spaces.  They report that “Of the seven environment attributes [tested], grass and trees have the most positive influence on all perceptions. Building height and bike parking both have negative effects on safety. . . . Outdoor dining, benches, and arcade space also enhance liveliness. . . . Trees and grass have strong positive effects on all perceptions. . . . The other two attributes with large positive effects are benches, which increases comfort and liveliness, and the arcade space, which increases liveliness and legibility. . . . the presence of bike parking and cyclists is found to have a positive impact on liveliness.”  Findings are consistent with “arousal theory which states that when people are more aroused [energized], they may pay more attention to positive stimuli and may prefer environments that offer more variety, complexity or novelty . . .  which make them perceive the surroundings as more comfortable and livelier.”

Senqi Yang, Gamze Dane, Pauline van den Berg, and Theo Arentze. 2024. “Influences of Cognitive Appraisal and Individual Characteristics on Citizens’ Perception and Emotion in Urban Environment:  Model Development and Virtual Reality Experiment.” Journal of Environmental Psychology, vol. 96,102309, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2024.102309

You and colleagues evaluated the experiences of young adults in classrooms with biophilic elements. They report, after a virtual reality-based study, that “the addition of biophilic elements in the Metaverse could benefit students’ health due to significantly decreased perceived stress levels and increased connections with nature. . . . Intervention 1 is Indoor Green where the classroom is decorated with green plants and natural materials. Intervention 2, named Outdoor Green incorporates outdoor natural view and daylight into indoor space through windows. In Intervention 3, Turbid Outdoor Green the outdoor natural view in Intervention 2: Outdoor Green is blocked with visual turbidity, which is intended to simulate air pollution. The biophilic elements in Indoor Green and Outdoor Green are combined in Intervention 4 –Combination. . . . In general, participants subjectively felt significantly less stress and more connection with nature in all the interventions.” 

Jicheng You, Xinyl Wen, Linxin Liu, Jie Yin, and John Ji. 2023. “Biophilic Classroom Environments on Stress and Cognitive Performance: A Randomised Crossover Study in Virtual Reality (VR).” PLoS ONE, vol. 18, no. 11, e0291355, https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0291355

Schollhorn and teammates studied responses to artificial skies.  They used an overhead light panel that “reproduced nature-adapted light scenarios. In a laboratory office environment, three lighting scenarios were presented during the day: two lighting conditions with nature-adapted spectral light distributions, one with static and one with dynamic clouds, and a standard office lighting condition. . . . We found no evidence that an 8-h lighting scenario with static or dynamic clouds during the waking day (9am-5pm) was associated with any significant effect on objective and/or subjective alertness, cognitive performance and morning cortisol concentrations compared to standard workplace lighting. . . . results showed no impact of dynamic nature-adapted lighting on subjective and objective sleepiness or cognitive performance, compared to standard workplace lighting. However, dynamic lighting was associated with a lower subjective perceived levels of tension after the cognitive tasks and less effort to concentrate than static lighting. The effects of dynamic lighting on cognitive performance, circadian physiology and well-being might take time to manifest.”

Isabel Schollhorn, Gunnar Deuring, Oliver Stefani, Michael Strumberger, Timm Rosburg, Patrick Lemoine, Achim Pross, Benjamin Wingert, Ralph Mager, and Christian Cajochen. 2023. “Effects of Nature-Adapting Lighting Solutions (‘Virtual Sky’) on Subjective and Objective Correlates of Sleepiness, Well-Being, Visual and Cognitive Performance at the Workplace.” PLoS ONE, vol. 18, no. 8, e0288690, https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0288690

Tasser, Lavdas, and Schirpke studied the impact of visible clouds on opinions formed of images.  They found “no significant differences in preferences between pictures with and without clouds when the pictures with clouds contained a proportion of sky around 22% and a cloud cover of about 39%. However, a higher proportion of sky positively influenced landscape preferences, while a higher proportion of clouds, especially in combination with a lower proportion of sky, had negative effects. . . .  Our findings suggest that the presence of clouds in sunny landscape photographs can alter landscape preferences. A high proportion of clouds, in particular in combination with a low proportion of sky, can lead to lower preference scores compared to a sky without clouds. In contrast, a high proportion of sky with single, small clouds can increase preference scores. Our findings therefore have important implications for landscape preference studies using photographs as stimuli.”

Erich Tasser, Alexandros Lavdas, and Uta Schirpke.  2023. “Assessing Landscape Aesthetic Values: Do Clouds in Photographs Influence People’s Preferences?” PLoS ONE, vol. 18, no. 7, e0288424, https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0288424

Lipson-Smith and teammates identified ways in which stroke rehabilitation facility design can support post-stroke recovery.  They found “three over-arching, environmental principles: 1) promote variety and interest in the environment, 2) allow for privacy without isolation, and 3) patient-centred design. . . . stroke survivors value variety, change, and purpose in their physical environment; these qualities help to provide some connection with their surroundings, relieve boredom, and lift their mood. . . . the term ‘positive distraction’ has been used to describe aesthetic qualities in the environment, such as artwork or nature views, that patients find pleasant and interesting. . . . these elements of . . . ‘positive distraction’ must be present in other parts of the ward besides the patient bedroom in order to encourage stroke survivors to spend time in communal areas and engage in . . . activities that are beneficial for recovery. . . . what constitutes an interesting environment (or a fascinating environment, or a positive distraction) may vary between patients.”

Ruby Lipson-Smith, Heidi Zeeman, Leanne Muns, Faraz Jeddi, Janine Simondson, and Julie Bernardt. 2023. “The Role of the Physical Environment in Stroke Recovery: Evidence-Based Design Principles from a Mixed-Methods Multiple Case Study.” PLoS ONE, vol. 18, no. 6, e0280690, https:/doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0280690

Wijk and associates evaluated at-work satisfaction after relocation to activity-based workplaces using data collected 3 months before and 9 months after workers moved.  They found that “on average, satisfaction decreased after relocation, while for some workers it increased. . . . Participants with no university education were more satisfied with the physical and psychosocial work environment in activity-based workplaces than those with a university degree. . . .  satisfaction with the workplace design, the physical work environment, and the psychosocial work environment decreased after relocation to activity-based workplaces. . . .  managers and those working in an open-plan office before relocation reported a smaller decline in satisfaction after relocation, compared to those coming from private or shared offices. This finding was consistent for all three outcomes, i.e. satisfaction with workplace design, physical work environment, and psychosocial work environment. . . . We also found significant effects of age and gender on changes in satisfaction, with younger individuals and women being less affected by the relocation to activity-based workplaces.”

Katarina Wijk, Eva Bergsten, Svend Mathiassen, and David Hallman.  2023. “Individual Determinants of Satisfaction with the Work Environment After Relocation to Activity-Based Workplaces: A Prospective Study.” PLoS ONE, vol. 18, no. 3, e0281771, https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0281771