Coulthard outlines research which has correlated views of nature with improved recovery in hospital, better performance at school, and less aggression. She proposes that even short bursts of nature like looking through a window or at a picture of nature seems to relax people, increase concentration, reduce stress, and decrease blood pressure.

We have only recently surrounded ourselves in dense urban areas and our minds are still drawn toward the natural environment from which we came. We like natural scenes but especially prefer pictures of the savanna. Over the next weeks we will look at how views affect us and how to bring them into our homes.

We spoke earlier about the daily body rhythm but did know our body temperature also changes throughout the day? When we wake up our body temperature slowly rises and peaks around 4-6pm. It then gets cooler and cooler before bedtime and continues cooling as we sleep. Accordingly, our environmental surrounds affect us. Learn more about how here.