The Psychological Effects of Office Plants and Indoor Plants on People – Study 1

Study 1: The Effect of Interior Planting on Stress                                                                              By Helen Russell

The first study attempted to test whether the presence of plants in a room affected the stress levels of people undertaking a complex test. Participants in the study were invited to an office that had no interior plants or was heavily planted. Sensors were attached to the skin of the participants to record skin conductivity, heart rate and blood pressure. The participant was allowed to get used to the surroundings for 10 minutes, during which time a base line recording of his stress levels was recorded. After this 10-minute period, the participant was asked to add up a list of 78 numbers without using his fingers or counting aloud. During the time they were allowed for the test, additional distractions, such as the sound of a ringing telephone or traffic noise, were played to them at random intervals. After the test, a further 10-minute period of rest was allowed.

This study was an attempt to find objective measurements of what was already widely perceived, namely that plants for the office can reduce stress. Of the tree types of measurements made, skin conductivity showed the greatest difference between the group exposed to office plants or the planted office and the group in the unplanted office. The results showed that, for this measurement, stress was reduced in the planted office. The other tests showed very little difference between the planted office and the unplanted office. The results also showed that those people in the planted office recovered from their stress more quickly than those in the unplanted office during the 10-minute post-test rest period.

The reasons for the difference between the groups were also discussed. It is thought that the presence of plants at work made the office more interesting. A comparison with other decorative objects in an office would have to be made to see whether there was something inherently special in office plants or plants at work that would have an effect on perception. The effect of interior plants on stress may well be small and not apparent in those situations where the task performed is especially complex. In these situations, a person will be concentrating so much on the task in hand, that the surroundings make little impact. However, in situations where the task being performed is less complex or boring, the soothing effects of indoor plants may be more noticeable and have a greater effect on the people doing the task. This could be the subject of further study and may have implications on workplace productivity.

Contact for further information:

Helen Russell                                                                                                                                           The Berries, The Street                                                                                                                          West Sussex, England                                                                                                                          RH20 1PF. UK

David Uzzell                                                                                                                                 Department of Psychology,                                                                                                           University of Surrey, Guildford                                                                                                              Surrey, England                                                                                                                                       GU2 5XH. UK

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