Research by van Oordt, Ouwehand, and Paas confirms that design, particularly when it supports viewing nature, can promote mental refreshment. The investigators report that “According to attention restoration theory observing nature has restorative effects on cognitive components, such as working memory, after a cognitive depleting task. Additionally, urban environments are thought to have no effect or even a negative effect on cognitive restoration. Previous research has confirmed that observing actual, as well as digitally presented nature sceneries leads to more restoration of working memory capacity (WMC) than observing (digital) urban sceneries. . . . we conducted an experiment. . . . After a WMC depleting task, participants observed either digitally presented nature scenery, urban scenery or no scenery. . . . Results indicated significant higher [WMC, cognitive] performance on the digit span test for those who observed nature scenery in comparison to those who observed urban scenery or no scenery. . . . Observing urban scenery was neither harmful nor helpful in terms of cognitive restoration compared to observing no scenery.”
Menno van Oordt, Kim Ouwehand, and Fred Paas. 2023. “Restorative Effects of Observing Natural and Urban Scenery After Working Memory Depletion.” Environmental Research and Public Health, vol. 20, no. 1, 188, https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20010188