Research Design Connection: Viewing Nature and Cooperation

by Sally Augustin, Ph.D. | May 24th, 2015

DeLoach, Carter and Braasch recently presented information at the annual meeting of the Acoustical Society of America confirming that hearing nature sounds while working supports human performance. They report on “work by Braasch and his graduate student Mikhail Volf, which showed that people’s ability to regain focus improved when they were exposed to natural sounds versus silence or machine-based sounds.”“’Natural’ Sounds Improve Mood and Productivity, Study Finds.” 2015. Press release, Acoustical Society of America, http://www.newswise.com/articles/natural-sounds-improves-mood-and-productivity-study-finds. Sally Augustin, PhD, a cognitive scientist, is the editor of Research Design Connections (www.researchdesignconnections.com), a monthly subscription newsletter and free daily blog, where recent and classic research in the social, design, and physical sciences that can inform designers’ work are presented in straightforward language. Readers learn about the latest research findings immediately, before they’re available elsewhere. Sally, who is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association, is also the author of Place Advantage: Applied Psychology …