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Improve concentration and productivity and generally make us feel better-
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lants reduce stress and increase productivity in the workplace: | ||
| Scientific reports from researchers at universities in the USA, Netherlands and the UK shed new light | |||
on the effect plants can have on the stress levels and productivity of office workers. Virginia Lohr and her |
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| colleagues at the Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, Washington State University looked | |||
| at the benefits of adding plants to a windowless work place – in this instance a college computer laboratory. | |||
| Participants' blood pressure and emotions were monitored while completing a simple, timed computer task in the | |||
| presence or absence of plants. As Lohr et al state in their study report, "When plants were added to this interior | |||
| space, the participants were more productive and less stressed. Immediately after completing the task, participants | |||
| in the room with plants present reported feeling more attentive than people in the room with no plants." Further evidence | |||
for productivity improvement with plants is highlighted in a review of "the effect of healthy workplaces on the well-being |
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| and productivity of office workers" by John Bergs in the Netherlands. Bergs cites both Tove Fjeld and a study carried out | |||
| in the Netherlands, at the Winterswijk Tax Office, where the influence of plants on productivity was closely | |||
| monitored (van Dortmont, 2001). The study was carried out using a control group (without plants) and a test group (with plants) | |||
| in comparable areas of the building. The most significant findings of the study included improvements in air quality | |||
| (both measured, and perceived by the employees) and improvements in productivity. | |||
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| Improve air quality | Make you healthy | Increase productivity | Enhance the corporate image |
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