The influence of forest view through a window on job satisfaction and job stress

Abstract

Windows have been found to be a particularly salient feature of the workplace, not only as a matter of preference but also for health and well-being. Depending on what is in the view, looking out of the window may provide numerous opportunities for restoration. This study investigated the effect of window views on job satisfaction and stress. The impact of two specific influencing mechanisms was examined: existence of forest views through windows in workplaces, and absence of forest views through windows in workplaces. The sample consisted of 931 office workers in Seoul, South Korea, 481 who could see forest views from their workplaces and 450 who could not see forest views. A set of self-administered questionnaires including job satisfaction and job stress measures was distributed to the sample from April to September 2004. The results showed a significant direct effect of forest views from windows on job satisfaction and stress. Respondents' personal information such as gender, age and job category did not influence on the window view effects. As expected, employees' job satisfaction and job stress were highly and negatively correlated.

The physiological and psychological relaxing effects of viewing rose flowers in office workers

“…In the previous studies, it is reported that natural views from hospital rooms or indoor plants hasten recovery of patients after surgery and decrease systolic blood pressure [27-29]. Those effects in an office location have been studied, showing greater work efficiency and job satisfaction simply by placing indoor plants in the office [30,31]. Furthermore, the higher the stress state, the more effective the nature therapy [32].…”

Green Breaks: The Restorative Effect of the School Environment’s Green Areas on Children’s Cognitive Performance

“…For example, restorative experiences at the workplace can compensate for job resource demands (Bellini et al, 2015a,b). Some studies, in fact, corroborate the hypothesis of a positive restorative effect of the presence of nature in workplaces: views of nature (compared with other views) reduced stress and increased workers’ job satisfaction (Shin, 2007). Furthermore, workers seem to actively look for contact with nature in their work environment.…”

Relationship between psychological responses and physical environments in forest settings

“…Several studies conducted in different countries have reported that compared to urban environments, natural environments can better enhance human moods (Hartig, Evans, Jamner, Davis, & Gärling, 2003;Laumann, Garling, & Stormark, 2003;Morita et al, 2006) and work performance (Shin, 2007). In the aspects of physiological responses in nature environments, it is more difficult to control the experimental conditions in the field than in the laboratory.…”