Biophilia, a term popularized by American biologist Edward O. Wilson in the 1980s, describes humans’ innate connection to nature. It encompasses our inherent need to interact with the natural environment. This concept has gained traction in various fields, from architecture to psychology, emphasizing how this connection can enhance our well-being and productivity.

Biophilia in Daily Work

Integrating biophilia into the workplace can transform mundane work environments into spaces that boost morale and productivity. Here’s how you can incorporate biophilic design into your daily work life:

1. Natural Light: Maximizing natural light can reduce eye strain, improve mood, and enhance overall well-being. Large windows with outdoor views can also help reduce the feeling of being confined.
2. Plant Life: Adding plant life not only improves air quality but also adds aesthetic value, which can reduce stress and enhance employee creativity.
3. Natural Materials: Using furniture and decorations made from natural materials like wood, stone, or bamboo can enhance the biophilic quality of an office. This brings elements of nature indoors and provides a sensory touch that artificial materials cannot.
4. Water Features: Including small indoor waterfalls or aquariums can provide visual and auditory relaxation, contributing to a less stressful work environment.
5. Outdoor Spaces: Integrating outdoor spaces where employees can work or take breaks can significantly boost mental health and productivity.

Biophilia in Everyday Life

To bring biophilia into your home and everyday life, consider these strategies:

1. Green Spaces: Designate areas in your home for greenery. Indoor gardens or even small potted plants can bring nature indoors and help purify the air.
2. Natural Decor: Choose decor that echoes the natural world. This could be in untreated wooden shelves, stone sculptures, or woven baskets.
3. Maximize Natural Light: Use sheer curtains or strategically placed mirrors to enhance the natural light in your home. This can make your living space feel more open and connected to the outdoors.
4. Outdoor Activities: Regularly spend time outdoors, whether gardening, hiking or walking in a park. Engaging with nature can improve your physical and mental health.
5. Use of Color: Incorporate earthy tones or plant-based colours into your home palette to create a more natural and soothing environment.

Benefits of Biophilia

The benefits of incorporating biophilic design in our work and living environments are extensive:

• Improved Mental Health: Regular interaction with nature can decrease stress and anxiety, leading to improved mental health.
• Enhanced Productivity: In work environments, biophilic design can lead to higher productivity levels and more creative thinking.
• Better Air Quality: Plants can improve indoor air quality by filtering harmful pollutants and emitting oxygen.
• Increased Well-being: Natural light and views of nature can enhance overall well-being and happiness.

Practical Examples

• Office Spaces: Companies like Amazon have incorporated biophilic designs into their offices, using living walls, natural light, and indoor waterfalls to enhance employee well-being.
• Homes: Many modern homes are designed with large windows, natural building materials, and indoor plants to create a healthier living environment.

Biophilia is more than just a design aesthetic; it’s vital to interact with our environment. Integrating nature into our daily lives can significantly enhance our mental and physical well-being. Whether through professional spaces or personal homes, the principles of biophilia can help us cultivate a more fulfilling and healthy lifestyle.

Different religions and cultural experiences throughout the world encourage meditation by connecting with nature. As one ages, it’s extremely critical to channel out negative emotions and nature offers the best solution. 

The concept of “outside-in” is now being widely accepted for its mental and physical benefits. Even if outdoor excursions are not possible because of the COVID-19 outbreak; through basic aesthetical changes, the outdoors can be brought in for health benefits. 

Let me walk you through five simple ways to keep your mind and body healthy by bringing outdoors in:

1. Invest in Indoor Plants

Doctors and therapists say the best medicine to overcome intrusive and stressful thoughts is to walk in greenery. Immersing yourself in nature, melts away tension and anxiety. The sensory stimulation provided by green grass and leaves improves mental cognition.

Nothing can replace the freedom of relaxing or wandering in a garden, but if you can’t go outdoors, bring nature indoors. Enrich your home with flowers and house plants. Those who are fortunate to be blessed with a garden, use that to your advantage. If not, creating garden-like spaces throughout your home will work wonders too. For instance, place potted herbs in the kitchen has similar health benefits. Please make sure you look after these plants; taking care of them will keep you engaged.

2. Buy Rattan furniture 

Rattan furniture immediately connects you with nature. They are made from natural materials and offer a visual connection to the outdoors. Create a cozy little corner in your house and decorate it with a rattan pod swing. Through swinging, it releases endorphins in your brain to reduce stress, and it will take you to a beautiful getaway and release your tensions of the day.

3. Let the Sunlight In

Flood your home with natural light first thing in the morning by opening your curtains. You and your house plants are going to love the light. Sunlight is an excellent source of vitamin D. Although it’s not a cure for mental health issues, it’s a great mood booster. 

4. Use Natural Materials for Home Décor and Flooring

Use materials such as wood or stone found outdoors and make them a part of interior decor. Cut flowers, wooden boxes, pinecones, to rocks in a bowl are excellent and accessible examples to create and find. Similarly, flooring designed from cork or bamboo makes your home feel closer to nature. If you can’t change the floor, consider area rugs made from natural material.

5. Listen to the Sound of Nature 

Medical science says that listening to the sound of nature has similar effects as going outside. A report published in 2017 measured brain activity in people as they listened to natural/artificial environments. The sounds of nature reflected the brain activity of the listeners by causing an outward-directed focus of attention.

This process is similar to daydreaming. Looking at pictures of your favourite people, place, and natural setting can reduce stress, anxiety, and depression. If you find something outside like a rock, stone, or branch that could be used in a craft project, bring it in. Don’t ignore any opportunity to connect to nature. This will make your home a mental health sanctuary. 

Science have proven we have a close relationship with nature.

Integrating the outside world into our indoor space can dramatically increase your engagement with nature, and in turn, benefit your health and comfort. Though research, we all know spending time outdoors is healthy, but in our current times, we spend 80% of our days indoors. With spending so much time indoors, we need to take a close examination of our environment to our health.

Many of us have rooms in our home with views of the city or our neighbours across the street. Today’s urban landscape limits your exposure to see nature, and this can have many adverse psychological effects.

PLANTS WITH BENEFITS

Aside from having a window with views of outdoors, we can bring the element of the outdoors indoors, through house plants.

Many studies have been conducted on the impacts of nature that affect our physical and mental health. Aside from the plants’ photosynthesis, and essential functions of carbon and oxygen cycles, indoor plants have also been shown to have positive influences on task performance, health, and your levels of stress.

This is because we need to see nature. Humans require a connection to nature. Humans’ need to connect with nature, such as plants and animals, are innate.  This built-in need may be the outcome of spending the bulk of our evolutionary past (over 99%) connected to nature.

VISUAL CONNECTIONS

Nature’s patterns, such as leaves, trees, water patterns, and landscapes, have been ingrained into us from the start of time. We are naturally more relaxed outdoors with seeing nature’s biomorphic forms.  

Many of our homes are focused on minimalist designs with clean lines and right angles. Straight lines do not exist in nature; we can feel unease and not necessarily relaxed with too much of this.  Try incorporating more biomorphic forms and patterns into your home. These visual connections to nature are scientifically proven for stress reduction.  

LET THERE BE LIGHT

Lighting has always been a significant contributor to health. Different lighting conditions can elicit different psychological effects.

The impact of daylight on your health has been studied for many years. Research has proven that productivity is higher, stress is reduced, and the ability to heal a person physically and mentally has been validated through the use of proper lighting considerations

Have your home well-lit to simulate nature’s light fluctuations. Sunshine changes colour from yellow in the morning, to blueish at midday, and red tones in the evening. Our body responds to these fluctuations which connect to our mood, alertness and sleep qualities. 

Look around your space and assess your lighting. Look at the location of the windows; position your furniture to maximize how you see this light. For darker areas or night-time, check your lights, consider using full-spectrum bulbs (look for colour temperatures between 4000K to 6500K). Taking these simple steps will be a game-changer.

Three simple things you can do at home to reduce stress

1) Ensure your home has an excellent visual connection to nature. This can be as simple as improving views and bring more plants into your home. You can consider orienting tables and seating to maximize views of the outdoors.

2) Many homes’ aesthetics favour sharp, clean lines and angles; this is not always the best for your relaxation. Consider integrating images of nature patterns – biomorphic forms (inspired by nature). These can be art prints or decorations that mimic nature’s aesthetics.

3) Ensure your home has plenty of naturally occurring light (multi-directional). If this is difficult to achieve, proper simulated light should be considered, such as colour balanced and circadian referenced bulbs (more blue light during the day, less at night).

Having a stress-free home is a great way to promote everyday stress-free living.

The Japanese have a word for forest bathing? It is “shinrin-yoku“. The translation means to lose yourself in the forest while enjoying the fresh air, the lush green vegetation and all the sounds of mother nature.

But the most exciting thing is that there is science behind this simple act of walking in the forest.

1) It may help prevent cancer
2) The scents of the forest reduce stress
3) Helps with depression
4) Aid in memory and learning
5) Lower blood pressure

Aside from the simple ones like getting fresh air and exercise, some studies show that a walk in the forest or a park with lots of trees may be the healthiest thing you can do.

However, we all can’t be that lucky to have those views to connect us to nature. We can connect to nature with these simple, subtle ways.

– Use proper color balanced lights (no fluorescents!!)

– Integrate more wood into your home

– See more green! Houseplants!

As humans, we have interacted with nature since the beginning of time. This means that having nature as part of our lives is an essential measure of our existence. Health and Happiness.