Window Access to Nature Restores: A Virtual Reality Experiment with Greenspace Views, Sounds, and Smells

Abstract

Exposure to nature can improve psychological well-being such as attention restoration. These restorative benefits may be provided by windows looking onto nature, yet studies on the restorative qualities of windows have largely taken place in calm environments where restoration demands are relatively low. Thus, the restorative effects of windows in busy environments warrant examination. This virtual reality (VR) experimental study measured the restorative qualities of windows with nature views in a busy setting. We exposed 88 undergraduate participants to an open, closed, or no window condition by creating a Computer Automatic Virtual Environment (CAVE)-like VR environment. The participants saw a 6-min wall-projected video of a busy university café along with indoor sounds played in the background and the scent of coffee created by an essential oil diffuser. Birdsongs and dirt smells were added to the open window condition. The Perceived Restorativeness Scale (PRS) and Restoration Outcomes Scale (ROS) were administered after VR exposure. Results showed that compared with no window, the open window was more restorative in terms of the ROS, PRS, and the PRS subscales related to fascination and being away. The closed window was more restorative in terms of the ROS and being away subscale. Unexpectedly, the addition of sounds and smells virtually coming through the open window did not provide restorative qualities beyond what was provided by the closed window. These findings provide suggestive evidence that virtual windows looking onto nature provide restorative effects for people in busy indoor environments.