University of South Australia researcher Bridgette Minuzzo has found that putting artworks in an office can reduce stress thanks to her three-year study, which involved 91 people across 18 work sites where there were no direct views of nature or windows.
The mental wellbeing of participants was measured before each trial with changes in their mental fatigue and stress levels surveyed over the next month.
"Looking at the scenes rejuvenates tired brains and helps workers to refocus on tasks."
“The participants reported that landscape paintings evoked fond memories of holidays and time spent in nature. Looking at the scenes rejuvenates tired brains and helps workers to refocus on tasks,” says Bridgette.
Bridgette worked with a neuroscientist on the project to examine the intricacies of what happens when we are looking at nature or a realistic artistic representation of it and found that viewing a landscape painting for as little as one to five minutes cut stress and fatigue levels.
If you work from home, this study is the perfect excuse to purchase a fabulous new piece of wall art for your office – a reap the benefits!
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Want to make your own art? Watch the video below.
