Plants improve performance and well-being in virtual realities

Foto: UHH/HCI Virtuelles Büro mit Pflanzen - How can cognitive abilities and well-being be enhanced in virtual worlds? An international team from the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf and the Max Planck Institute for Human Development, led by the Department of Computer Science at the University of Hamburg, has found that the presence of plants in a virtual office environment can increase mental productivity, memory performance and well-being. The researchers published their findings in the journal Scientific Reports. More than 50 percent of the world's population lives in urban areas, a proportion that is expected to rise to 68 percent by 2050. Already, many people have limited access to nature, as artificially designed living spaces are often separated from the natural environment. At the same time, fewer and fewer people are working in a traditional office - a trend that accelerated during the COVID-19 pandemic with telecommuting. In the future, this trend could even intensify due to novel forms of immersive workspaces in virtual reality (VR). An interdisciplinary research team has now studied the effects of virtual plants in a VR office environment on subjects' cognitive performance and psychological well-being.