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Plants in the WorkplaceThe Effects of Plant Density on Productivity, Attitudes, and Perceptions

May 1998
Environment and Behavior 30(3):261-281

DOI:10.1177/001391659803000301

Authors:

Larissa Larsen

University of Michigan

Brian Deal

University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign

Byoung-Suk Kweon

University of Maryland, College Park

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This experiment measures the effects of indoor plants on participants' productivity, attitude toward the workplace, and overall mood in the office environment. In an office randomly altered to include no plants, a moderate number of plants, and a high number of plants, paid participants (N = 81) performed timed productivity tasks and completed a survey questionnaire. Surprisingly, the results of the productivity task showed an inverse linear relationship to the number of plants in the office, but self-reported perceptions of performance increased relative to the number of plants in the office. Consistent with expectations, participants reported higher levels of mood, perceived office attractiveness, and (in some cases) perceived comfort when plants were present than when they were not present. Decreased productivity scores are linked to the influence of positive and negative affect on decision making and cognitive processing.

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DOI: 10.1177/001391659803000301

1998 30: 261Environment and Behavior

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Larissa Larsen, Jeffrey Adams, Brian Deal, Byoung Suk Kweon and Elizabeth

Productivity, Attitudes, and Perceptions

Plants in the Workplace: The Effects of Plant Density on

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