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Is scenery mandatory for restoration? Attention restoration without visual nature elements
Hiroto Sakimura1, Tomoko Sugawara1, Kohta Watatsu2
1Toyota Central R&D Labs., Inc., Nagakute, Japan.
Frontiers in Psychology
|May 19, 2025
Summary
Attention restoration can occur without visual stimuli, with non-visual nature elements like sounds and smells promoting physiological recovery. This challenges the focus on visual aspects in restorative environment design.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Psychology
- Neuroscience
- Human-Computer Interaction
Background:
- Attention restoration theory (ART) traditionally emphasizes visual nature elements.
- Research often overlooks the role of non-visual sensory modalities in attention restoration.
- A gap exists in understanding how auditory, olfactory, and tactile stimuli contribute to restorative experiences.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the contribution of non-visual nature elements to attention restoration.
- To determine if attention restoration can occur in the absence of visual stimuli.
- To compare the effects of multisensory, visually-deprived nature, and control environments on physiological and cognitive measures.
Main Methods:
- A within-subject experimental design with 47 participants.
- Three conditions were compared: multisensory nature-like environment, nature-like environment without visual stimuli, and a control.
- Physiological measures (heart rate variability, electrodermal activity) and cognitive tests were used.
Main Results:
- Subjective restoration was higher with visual stimuli, but physiological benefits (parasympathetic activation, sympathetic deactivation) were similar in both multisensory nature conditions.
- No significant differences in cognitive measures were found across conditions.
- Non-visual nature stimuli independently promote physiological recovery.
Conclusions:
- Findings challenge the vision-centric paradigm of restorative environments.
- Auditory, olfactory, and tactile stimuli play a significant role in physiological restoration.
- Multisensory nature-based design is crucial for creating effective restorative environments, especially where visual access is limited.
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