If you haven’t been super productive as of late, or perhaps a little moody, plants might just be what you need. Here’s a bit of information that I’ve learned from a previous class.
With a global pandemic happening, many students are spending lots of time in their rooms stressed or studying alone. Exams, deadlines, and assignments pile up, and the option to study with friends or out in a café isn’t advised. You might be wondering how you can get back to being productive and I’m here to try and help!
In the Fall of 2019, I took a class called Social and Behavioral Factors in Design where we discussed the design of public outdoor spaces, offices, hospitals, and other places, and how the shape of our environment impacted our lives. A quote my professor included during my time in that class was:
“We shape our buildings, and afterwards our buildings shape us.”
- Winston Churchill
A recurring concept in that class was called biophilic design which involves the biophilia hypothesis that humans have an instinctive bond with nature. Humans have an innate affinity with nature and with this understanding, many architects and interior designers try to imbed these details into their designs. These designs include plants, plant features like décor and textures, wooden beams, natural colors, and so much more.
Human spaces such as offices and hospitals that have biophilia integrated have proven to have a positive impact on human health and productivity. Patients that could look out and see greenery or nature had faster recovery rates compared to patients who didn’t have greenery outside their windows, such as a brick wall. Offices that had more open space with rest areas such as a courtyard with plants had employees who were much more productive compared to employees that worked in closed compact cubicles. While you might not be an architect or an interior designer, adding the essences of biophilic design can still help!
Buying some house plants and adding them to your study environment can help! Research on how you can keep them alive and thriving but if you’re not the best at keeping plants alive, that’s okay. There’re other options such as fake plants (I personally have two fake succulents that sit on my desk), printing out images, picking up a stick outside and displaying it, drawing/painting some flowers on the walls or other décor ideas will all work!
It all just comes down to having natural features in your environment that’ll improve your quality of life.
Honestly, if you’re not convinced, plant life is still a cute aesthetic! Why not make your study space a little bit cuter and improve your productivity and mood at the same time?
Quick Tip: If you’re not sure what house plants to start off with, try a snake plant, spider plant, or aloe vera!