Attentional and Restorative Effects of Green Work Environments: A Counterbalanced Within-Subject Experiment Examining Sensory Processing Difference

Individuals differ in sensory sensitivity, with potential implications for attention and well-being. This study examines whether and how these differences shape responses to green work environments, particularly regarding perceived restorativeness and cognitive processes.

View from above: A woman is sitting on a lawn with her legs stretched out. She is working on her tablet. There is a notebook on the lawn, as well as a rucksack, sunglasses, a notebook and a mobile phone.

Result

Key data

Result

Perceived restorativeness differed significantly across conditions (outdoor > indoor greenery > no-green indoor). Controlling for baseline affect, participants reported higher positive affect following indoor greenery than the no-green indoor control in a two-condition model; when including the outdoor condition, the effect attenuated to trend level. Moderation by sensory sensitivity suggested relatively stronger outdoor (vs. indoor) restorative benefits and a similar trend for affect among higher sensitive individuals. No reliable effects emerged for sleepiness. Results are preliminary and warrant replication; analyses of SART and Stroop data are ongoing.

Conclusion

Passive indoor greenery enhanced perceived restorativeness and showed a trend toward higher positive affect during task performance. Sensory sensitivity moderated restorativeness ratings, highlighting individual differences in responses to environmental features.

In addition to the project team listed, the following individuals contributed to the project as student researchers: Luca Rüegger

Description

Background

Environmental context influences attention and well-being. While exposure to nature is often associated with restorative benefits after cognitive depletion, findings on passive indoor greenery during ongoing task performance are mixed. Moreover, individuals differ in their responsiveness to environmental stimuli, suggesting that individual differences in sensory sensitivity may shape responses to green settings.

Objectives

We tested whether passive greenery exposure affects attention, perceived restorativeness (post-task), and well-being (positive affect, sleepiness; pre–post), and whether effects are moderated by sensory sensitivity.

Method

In a randomized within-subject crossover design (N = 36), participants completed attention tasks (SART, Stroop) and self-reports (SPQ, PRS-11, PANAS-POS, KSS) across indoor greenery, indoor control, and outdoor settings. Physical parameters (lux, dB(A), °C) were recorded; linear mixed-effects models accounted for within-person dependencies.