Okay, so this is going to sound kind of nerdy, but I’ve become obsessed with whether my plant collection actually makes me think better. Like, beyond just feeling less depressed in my tiny studio apartment – I’m talking about measurable cognitive improvements. Can having Patricia the pothos and her 30+ plant siblings actually make me sharper at work? Turns out, there’s actual science on this, and it’s way more fascinating than I expected.
The whole thing started when I was struggling with focus during remote work. My marketing job requires a lot of creative thinking and problem-solving, but sitting at my kitchen table six feet from my bed wasn’t exactly conducive to productivity. I’d built up this little urban jungle in my apartment mostly for mental health reasons, but I started wondering if it was doing more than just making me feel better.
I found this rabbit hole of research on something called “biophilic design” – basically, incorporating natural elements into spaces to improve human wellbeing. And there are actual studies measuring whether plants, natural light, and nature views make people perform better on cognitive tests. Not just “I feel smarter” but like, actual standardized test improvements.
The most straightforward way researchers test this is by having people complete mental tasks in different environments and comparing the results. I came across this study from Cornell where they had participants do digital cognitive assessments in three settings: a standard office, an office with nature views through windows, and an office with plants and water features inside.
The results were wild – people scored about 15% better on attention tasks when they could see nature, and nearly 20% better in the plant-filled space compared to the boring standard office. That’s not a small difference. That’s like the difference between getting a B+ versus a B- on something.
This got me curious enough to try some informal testing myself. I found free cognitive assessment apps online (because I’m definitely not paying for fancy research tools) and started tracking my performance when working in different parts of my apartment. Kitchen table near the one sad window versus the corner where most of my plants live versus the bathroom (don’t judge, sometimes it’s the only quiet spot).
Obviously this isn’t rigorous science – too many variables, sample size of one, whatever. But consistently, I performed better on memory and attention tasks when I was surrounded by plants. Could be placebo effect, but the pattern was pretty clear over several weeks of testing.
The research goes way deeper than just cognitive tests though. Scientists measure physiological responses too – things like stress hormones, heart rate variability, and even brain activity. Your cognitive performance is directly connected to your stress levels, so if natural elements help you relax, that should improve how well you think.
I learned about this thing called electrodermal activity, which measures how much your skin conducts electricity. It changes based on stress levels, and studies show it improves when people are in spaces with plants or nature views. There’s also EEG research measuring actual brain waves – people viewing natural patterns show increased alpha waves, which are associated with being alert but relaxed.
This stuff is being tested in real-world settings too, not just labs. There was a study with nurses where they wore monitors during breaks in both regular break rooms and ones designed with natural elements. The nurses recovered from stress faster in the nature-connected spaces, and they made fewer medication errors afterward. That’s not just feeling better – that’s measurable improvement in performance that affects patient outcomes.
Eye-tracking technology is another interesting approach. Researchers can measure exactly where people look and for how long, which indicates cognitive engagement. Studies show people spend more time visually engaging with displays that incorporate natural elements compared to conventional designs. Their eyes follow more complex patterns, suggesting deeper mental processing.
What’s really compelling is the research on creativity and complex problem-solving. One study I read about had people work on innovation challenges in different environments. Participants in spaces with natural elements came up with 18% more solutions, and their ideas were rated as more original by independent evaluators.
This makes sense to me from personal experience. My most creative work happens when I’m up on our building’s rooftop garden or when I’ve moved my laptop to the corner of my apartment where all my plants live. Something about being around living things seems to unlock different thinking patterns.
But there are definitely limitations to all this research. Human cognition is incredibly complex and influenced by so many factors – sleep, stress, caffeine intake, what you ate for lunch. Good studies try to control for these variables, but it’s still challenging to isolate the effects of environmental design.
There’s also what researchers call the “novelty effect.” People might perform better in newly designed spaces partly because they’re new and interesting, not necessarily because of specific natural elements. The real test comes after the novelty wears off, which is why long-term studies are more valuable than short-term ones.
I’ve noticed this in my own apartment. When I first started adding plants and better lighting, everything felt amazing and I was super productive. Some of that initial boost definitely faded as I got used to the changes. But even accounting for that, I still think more clearly in my plant corner than at the kitchen table.
Another thing that doesn’t get talked about enough is how individual and cultural differences affect responses to natural elements. I grew up in Atlanta with access to outdoor space, so maybe I respond differently to indoor plants than someone who grew up in Manhattan. Your background and relationship with nature probably influences how much cognitive benefit you get from biophilic design.
The practical applications of this research are what really interest me though. Some companies are actually using cognitive testing to figure out which design elements improve employee performance. Instead of just guessing that plants are nice, they’re measuring whether specific changes lead to better work outcomes.
I read about a software company that tested different workspace designs against actual coding challenges their employees faced. They found that natural views, plant presence, and dynamic lighting led to measurable improvements in code quality and problem-solving speed. So they redesigned their whole office based on data, not just aesthetics.
Healthcare settings are using this research too. There was a study with radiologists (the doctors who read X-rays and scans) working in different environments. Spaces with natural light patterns and subtle fractal elements correlated with fewer diagnostic errors – about 3% improvement in accuracy. That’s a small percentage, but in medicine, it could mean thousands of better patient outcomes.
Educational applications are fascinating too. Some schools are creating different study areas with varying levels of natural elements, then tracking student performance on practice exams. Results show that spaces with plants and natural views help more with conceptual understanding and creative thinking, while basic memorization doesn’t benefit as much.
The technology for measuring cognitive effects keeps getting better and more accessible. When this research started, you needed expensive lab equipment for cognitive testing. Now there are smartphone apps that can deliver valid assessments, making large-scale studies much more feasible.
Wearable devices can track physiological responses continuously in real-world settings instead of just during lab visits. I’ve been using a basic fitness tracker to monitor my heart rate variability while working in different parts of my apartment – not exactly research-grade equipment, but it gives me some objective data beyond just how I feel.
Virtual reality is opening up new possibilities too. Researchers can test specific natural elements in controlled ways that would be impossible with physical spaces. You can isolate the effects of different nature views, sounds, or plant arrangements without building multiple expensive test environments.
Studies with VR exposure to natural elements show measurable cognitive benefits, though they’re typically about 60-70% as strong as real-world exposure. Still significant, and way more practical for testing different design options.
The emerging field of “neuroarchitecture” is using advanced brain imaging to study how different spatial characteristics affect neural activity. This research might eventually allow designers to create spaces targeting specific cognitive functions with unprecedented precision.
What excites me most isn’t just the academic research, but how it’s becoming accessible to regular people dealing with small spaces and limited budgets. You don’t need a complete office redesign to apply these findings. Strategic placement of plants, better lighting, and views of nature – even through windows facing brick walls like mine – can provide measurable cognitive benefits.
I’ve started thinking of my plant collection as productivity tools, not just decoration. That might sound ridiculous, but the research backs it up. Every small improvement in focus, creativity, or stress reduction adds up over time, especially when you’re working from a tiny apartment during a pandemic.
The evidence keeps mounting that natural elements in indoor spaces provide real, measurable cognitive benefits. Not huge dramatic changes, but consistent improvements in attention, memory, creativity, and problem-solving. In a world where we’re all trying to optimize our performance while spending most of our time indoors, that’s pretty compelling.
So yeah, I’m pretty convinced that Patricia and her plant friends are actually making me smarter. Or at least helping my brain work better in a space that wasn’t designed for human flourishing. And honestly, even if the effects were purely psychological, I’d still choose to live surrounded by living things over staring at blank walls all day.
But the cool thing is, it’s not just psychological. There’s increasingly solid science showing that bringing nature indoors – even in small, imperfect ways – can measurably improve how our minds work. And in tiny urban apartments where every square foot and every cognitive advantage matters, that’s knowledge worth having.
Robert is a retired engineer in Michigan who’s spent the past few years adapting his longtime home for accessibility and wellbeing. He writes about practical, DIY ways to make homes more comfortable and life-affirming as we age — from raised-bed gardens to better natural light.
