Mechanism · 23 records
Autonomic stress recovery
Changes in sympathetic and parasympathetic state
family: Physiology
ND-0001 · 2021 · Systematic review
How indoor environmental quality affects occupants' cognitive functions: A systematic review
Wang et al. Building and Environment
Poorer indoor conditions were often associated with poorer cognitive performance, but effects varied by factor, task and study design.
ND-0002 · 2026 · Systematic review
Indoor environmental quality and the brain: A systematic review of physiological and neural evidence
Authors per journal record. Building and Environment
Visual and thermal conditions showed the most consistent relationships with neural and physiological signals across the reviewed evidence.
ND-0008 · 2010 · Experimental study
The effects of air temperature on office workers' well-being, workload and productivity-evaluated with subjective ratings
Lan, Lian & Pan. Applied Ergonomics
Temperature altered subjective workload and well-being, with physiological measures including HRV and EEG used alongside performance outcomes.
ND-0017 · 2026 · Experimental study
Multimodal evidence of temperature and sex effects on sleep: sleep physiology, sleep quality, and next-day performance
Authors per journal record. Building and Environment
Warmer nights reduced sleep continuity and efficiency; autonomic and next-day outcomes differed across temperatures and by sex.
ND-0023 · 2021 · Meta-analysis
A synthesis of health benefits of natural sounds and their distribution in national parks
Buxton et al. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Natural sounds were associated with improved affect and health-related outcomes and reduced stress or annoyance across the synthesized literature.
ND-0024 · 2024 · Systematic review and meta-analysis
Effects of natural sound exposure on health recovery: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors per journal record. Science of the Total Environment
The pooled evidence supports health-recovery benefits from exposure to natural sounds, while effect sizes vary by outcome and stimulus.
ND-0031 · 1984 · Comparative hospital study
View through a window may influence recovery from surgery
Roger S. Ulrich. Science
Patients with a tree view had shorter postoperative stays, fewer negative nurse notes and used fewer strong analgesics than matched patients facing a brick wall.
ND-0032 · 1991 · Experimental study
Stress recovery during exposure to natural and urban environments
Ulrich et al. Journal of Environmental Psychology
Natural scenes were associated with faster or more complete recovery on several affective and physiological measures after stress induction.
ND-0034 · 2020 · Systematic review
A systematic review and conceptual framework of biophilic design parameters in clinical environments
Authors per journal record. Healthcare / built environment literature
Different user groups appeared to value different biophilic parameters, including daylight, views, natural content, refuge and environmental comfort.
ND-0035 · 2024 · Systematic review
Biophilic design in healthcare: a systematic review of health and wellbeing outcomes
Al Khatib, Samara & Ndiaye. Frontiers in Built Environment
The review links biophilic interventions with reduced stress, anxiety and pain and with some recovery-related outcomes, while evidence strength varies.
ND-0042 · 2026 · Systematic review
A comprehensive review of neuroarchitecture measurement tools and methods
Authors per journal record. Building and Environment
EEG dominates the field; affect is studied more often than cognition or decision-making; multimodal standardization remains limited.
ND-0072 · 2021 · Systematic review
A Comparison of Psychological and Work Outcomes in Open-Plan and Cellular Office Designs: A Systematic Review
James, Delfabbro & King. SAGE Open
Open-plan offices were more often associated with poorer health, satisfaction and productivity-related outcomes, with noise and privacy recurring as major issues.
ND-0077 · 2008 · Systematic review
A Review of the Research Literature on Evidence-Based Healthcare Design
Ulrich et al. HERD
The review found design-relevant evidence across infection control, acoustics, nature/daylight, ergonomics, room type and layout, while quality varied by topic.
ND-0081 · 2026 · Systematic review
Psychophysiological responses to indoor wood use: A systematic literature review of indicators, methods, and research trends
Authors per journal record. Building and Environment
Visual wood exposure is the most studied modality, with heart rate and prefrontal measures common; the field needs longer exposures and more diverse samples.
ND-0083 · 2019 · Experimental study
Physiological effects of visual stimulation with full-scale wall images composed of vertically and horizontally arranged wooden elements
Nakamura, Ikei & Miyazaki. Journal of Wood Science
Wooden-wall images reduced prefrontal oxyhemoglobin relative to a gray control and improved several subjective mood impressions; vertical and horizontal arrangements differed.
ND-0084 · 2024 · Experimental study
Multisensory nature exposure in the workplace: Exploring the restorative benefits of smell experiences
Yildirim, Globa, Gocer & Brambilla. Building and Environment
A multisensory biophilic workplace condition improved stress, mood and cognitive outcomes relative to a non-biophilic condition; olfactory pleasantness contributed to restoration.
ND-0085 · 2024 · Experimental study
Beyond sight: Comparing traditional virtual reality and immersive multi-sensory environments in stress reduction of university students
Baktash, Kim & Shirazi. Frontiers in Virtual Reality
Both immersive conditions reduced anxiety; the multisensory condition showed a larger reduction trend, though the between-group difference was not statistically decisive.
ND-0088 · 2006 · Review
Reduction of Physiological Stress Using Fractal Art and Architecture
R. P. Taylor. Leonardo
Mid-range fractal patterns are proposed to be processed efficiently and may reduce physiological stress.
ND-0089 · 2021 · Review
The Potential of Biophilic Fractal Designs to Promote Health and Performance: A Review of Experiments and Applications
Richard P. Taylor. Sustainability
Reviews evidence that mid-complexity fractals can be processed fluently and may support stress reduction and visual performance.
ND-0105 · 2026 · Systematic review
The effects of interior design on users' psychological health under isolated, confined, and extreme environments: A systematic review
Authors per journal record. Journal of Environmental Psychology
Identifies recurring interior-design elements associated with psychological outcomes under unusually constrained conditions.
ND-0110 · 2026 · Systematic review
A review of biophilic architectural design strategies on psychological and physiological health
Authors per journal record. Discover Environment
Synthesizes a large multidisciplinary evidence base spanning empirical studies, theory, cases and meta-analyses.
ND-0129 · 2026 · Experimental neuroimaging study
Slow breathing impacts inter-organ dynamics modulating brain function and risk behavior
Huang et al. Neuron
Prolonged exhalation slowed heart rate, raised cardiac parasympathetic activity and increased risky choices. The shift came from greater sensitivity to potential gains, not reduced concern about losses. People with larger parasympathetic increases showed stronger ventromedial prefrontal and precuneus responses to reward.
ND-0133 · 2026 · Experimental virtual reality study
Associations of soundscape naturalness and natural-element complexity with short-term psychophysiological restoration in campus green spaces: a virtual reality study
Zhang & Guo. Frontiers in Psychology
Responses aligned most consistently with the soundscape dimension rather than the visual one. Under medium and high soundscape naturalness, medium natural-element complexity produced more favorable patterns than either low or high, consistent with an inverted-U rather than a more-is-better relationship.