This week we are going to look at how light and rhythms affects us. Before artificial lighting, we lived according to the sun. We woke when it rose and slept when it was dark. As it got cooler we slept. As you can imagine, our artificial lighting and heated houses can interfere with these cues and affect our body clock. Here are some ways biophilia suggests we can help us get our rhythm back.

Using forms and patterns in nature can help to calm us in our living spaces. The use of glimpses of nature, fractals, curves and broken symmetry can help us to feel calmer and more comfortable in our living spaces. How have you incorporated these into your home?

Colours affect how we think, feel and behave. However, the scientific literature is scarce and somewhat contradictory. The effects of colours can be deeply personal. Have a look around your house. How do the colours affect how you feel? What colours could you add to help you feel more relaxed in the lounge room or more creative and productive in the home office?

During the current environment where a lot of us are indoors, the benefits of indoor plants has been increasingly examined. Additionally research has found many other benefits for our health including, helping with allergies, add moisture to the air, which helps with immunity, help with sleep by adding more oxygen to the room, reduce stress, and help concentration.

As we spoke about last week, biophilia is about how natural environments to help us feel good. But what is natural.

Well, natural can mean a few things and Coulthard goes through some of these.