We talk on here sometimes about the place of music in the shedworking environment. We've also talked about why it's good to have plants in your garden office and also the benefits of looking out onto a garden rather than a skyscraper. But what if there were some way of combining them?
There is now, thanks to a new company Moodsonic which has put together a programme of natural audio soundscapes or what they call "biophilic design for the ears". Here's what they say about it:
"It harnesses our innate preferences for nature to create workspaces that are more healthy, productive and agile. Research shows that natural sounds can mask distracting noise and promote optimal cognitive functioning – even better than silence. They can decrease our muscle tension and heart-rate and help us feel safe and secure. They can even cue our bodies’ circadian rhythms. Moodsonic uses science-led design to bring these benefits to workplaces, schools, healthcare and more."
In practical terms, this is essentially how the calming sounds of nature such as rivers and rain can have a major impact on cognitive performance, even better they argue than silence.
Naturally they've done some research which they suggest indicates:
Moodsonic’s biophilic soundscape increased relaxation responses in people compared to typical office sound, based on both heart-rate and alpha brainwave data
Participants completed cognitive tasks significantly more quickly in the Moodsonic soundscape condition without loss of accuracy
Participants scored higher in creative thinking (+ 12%) with Moodsonic compared to typical office sound
Image courtesy Moonalabs
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