Green Workspace: 4 Reasons why you should have plants in your office
updated the Tuesday, March 7, 2017Time to jump on the healthy living bandwagon and make your office a little greener.
1. Reduces stress
If you find yourself overwhelmed by a stack of paperwork or backlog of emails, perhaps a few plants around your desk can help to calm you down. In a study done at Surrey University in the U.K, researchers found that being surrounded by plants had the ability to calm down participants taking a complicated tests. Those who completed the test in a room with plants had lower heart rate, blood pressure, and skin conductivity than those without the plants.
2. Increases comfort
We all know how horrible it is sitting in the dry, stale air of an office all day long. Not to mention having to pop outside only to be blasted by a wall of humidity before returning to the dry office. Aside from dry skin, an office with low humidity can actually lead to increased fatigue and even respiratory discomfort, making everybody that little bit more irritable. However, research shows that only a few plants in the office is enough to increase the humidity by 5%, bringing the average office into the recommended humidity range for comfort.
3. Reduces noise
Stuck in an open plan office with noisy coworkers and a boss that refuses to build walls? Try convincing management to put a few plant dividers here and there. A lesser known advantage of plants is that they’re great at reducing ambient noise – even as much as 5 decibels!
4. Helps you stay healthy
Constantly battling a stuffy nose and sore throat as you type away at your computer? Don’t worry, it’s not just you. SBS, or Sick Building Syndrome, is a common phenomena experienced by those who spend prolonged time in an office. The high levels of dust, bacteria, and even mould can cause everything from burning eyes to respiratory problems. Luckily, a study done by NASA found that certain indoor plants are essentially able to clean the air by removing toxic agents, greatly reducing the effects of SBS.
Angela Goh
Photos: Getty Images
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