Indoor Nature Contact: The Efficacy of a Nature Contact Intervention Inside the Home on Perceived Stress And Mood Among Women

Abstract

Past findings suggest that spending time outdoors facilitates recovery from mental fatigue and reduces stress. Indoor nature contact, or bringing elements of the outdoors inside, has also been shown to reduce stress and promote health in the workplace and clinical settings. This experimental study examined an understudied form of indoor nature contact—flowers—in a priority environment, the home. A sample of 170 women (ages 18–65) completed stress and mood surveys for 12 consecutive days. The participants were randomized into one of the following three groups: nature contact delivery (flowers) group (n = 58), comparison gift delivery (luxury candle) group (n = 55), and no gift delivery control group (n = 57). The participants were blinded to the purpose of the study. The participants randomized in the two gift delivery conditions (nature contact and luxury candle) received a surprise “thank you gift” in the middle of the study. There were no significant differences in baseline stress among the three groups. Stress reduction was greatest among the women randomized in the flower delivery group. The nature contact flower group had significantly greater stress reduction after the delivery than the comparison gift group. Women in the nature contact flower group reported statistically better mood and enjoyment compared with the comparison gift group. These findings are consistent with past research on nature contact and suggest that even limited exposure to natural elements indoors results in a measurable impact on stress and health.