Multisensory nature exposure in the workplace: Exploring the restorative benefits of smell experiences

Previous research has extensively documented several benefits of interacting with nature. Biophilic design applications aimed at connecting the built environment back to nature have been shown to improve employee health, well-being, and productivity at workplaces. However, most research regarding restorative environments has prioritized the visual qualities of nature experiences, neglecting other sensory modalities. The significance of the sense of smell in the restoration process has been largely ignored. This research investigates the combined effects of multi-domain nature experiences within workplace contexts. Specifically, the restorative benefits of combined multisensory elements, including visual, olfactory, and auditory, and the relative contributions of each sensory cue to the restoration process were examined. A pretest-posttest experimental approach was employed to compare the restorative outcomes of workplaces under two conditions, one lacking natural elements vs another offering multi-domain experiences of nature. Thirty-two participants engaged in a multisensory virtual reality simulation replicating the environmental conditions of an actual workplace in Sydney, Australia. The results revealed that the multisensory biophilic workplace significantly improved cognitive performance, reduced stress levels, and enhanced mood states compared to the non-biophilic one. There was a statistically significant association between the sense of smell and restorative benefits. Although visual elements emerged as the primary means of creating restorative workplace environments, our results suggest that the sense of smell plays a significant role in the restoration process. This paper provides empirical evidence on the paramount importance of olfactory cues in nature-based experiences, contributing to the knowledge within the realms of biophilia and architectural discourse.