Acute effects of visual and olfactory nature stimuli on task performance

Nature exposure enhances human experiences and supports overall wellbeing including physiological (stress), emotional (mood), and mental (focus) benefits. However, existing workplace design literature – typically indoors, and sensory-restricted, focuses mainly on nature views, despite nature being a multisensory experience. Rooted in Attention Restoration Theory (ART), Stress Reduction Theory (SRT), and "smellscape”, this study implemented a between-subjects controlled 2x2 experiment to explore how nature views and scents independently and in-combination influence workplace performance, measuring real-effort performance and physiological metrics including stress, attention, memory recall, reasoning skills, risk aversion, and cheating behaviors. Across 256 participants, results show that nature views enhance cognitive performance, boost positive emotions, and reduce anxiety. Introducing scents alongside visual stimuli further amplifies these benefits. Physiologically, both stimuli reduced blink rates, indicating lower anxiety levels compared to nature-absent settings. Our findings highlight the substantial benefits of incorporating nature passively and inexpensively into the workplace. By selecting cognitive tasks that mirror real-world office tasks, this study advances understanding of the connection between nature and cognition in offices, offering insights into creating environments that enhance productivity and well-being.