Date Approved

2026

Degree Type

Open Access Senior Honors Thesis

Department or School

Psychology

First Advisor

Rusty McIntyre, Ph.D.

Second Advisor

Heather Janisse, Ph.D.

Third Advisor

Natalie Dove, Ph.D.

Abstract

The idea that nature is beneficial to humans is somewhat unclear in the field of psychology. Many studies have found that exposure to natural elements can improve human emotions and performance on cognitive tasks. However, there are inconsistencies in the literature regarding whether both outcomes can be enhanced at once. There is also limited research on how nature can impact attitudes about the environment and tasks at hand. This study seeks to examine whether or not incorporating natural elements into workplaces improves employee performance and engagement measures, such as decision-making quality, job satisfaction, job motivation, and current emotional state. This was investigated by giving 76 participants an anonymous online survey where half were presented with an image of an office desk with colorful plants on or near it, and the other half with an image of an identical desk without any plants. Participants were asked to imagine that they were a Project Manager who worked in the office shown in the images. They engaged in four rounds of viewing the image and subsequently making a risky decision related to the job, as well as filling out short questionnaires about their emotions and their outlook on their hypothetical job and related responsibilities. It was hypothesized that those who viewed the desk with the natural elements would make more reasonable decisions and exhibit higher levels of positive emotion, job satisfaction, and job motivation, as compared to those who viewed the desk without any natural elements. Findings showed support for the satisfaction component, and partial support for the motivation component, but did not support the decision-making and emotional components. These results indicate that nature exposure is at least relevant to organizational procedures that seek to improve worker engagement.

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