Beneficial effects on subjective mood and brain function of biophilic quality in university environments shown in virtual reality

Beneficial effects on subjective mood and brain function of biophilic quality in university environments shown in virtual reality. ABSTRACT Biophilic designs incorporate nature-based features into built environments. Raised theta activity is reported in biophilic environments. Virtual Reality allows greater control of experimental parameters than in-field studies. Participants provided subjective reports and underwent an electroencephalography assessment as they viewed interior spaces that varied (0 no features to 3 most features) in biophilic quality. Mood improved with biophilic quality. Theta power increased with biophilic quality for levels 1-3. Paradoxically, however, theta was also high in the condition devoid of biophilic features (Level 0). Findings suggest that the benefit of biophilic environments on mood is paralleled by alterations in theta.