May 2020
7 pages
16m
English
Exposure to the natural world can boost employees’ cognitive, emotional, prosocial, and physical energy.
We spend about 92% of our lives indoors, on average.1 That was true even before COVID-19 prompted people to hunker down and observe social-distancing protocols. Without intervention, it’s a trend that’s likely to continue long after the pandemic abates.
Excessive time inside is problematic in light of what’s called the biophilia hypothesis — the widely held idea that because humans evolved in close connection to nature, we still harbor a strong innate desire to be in contact with natural elements and processes.2 When we fulfill that desire, research suggests, ...