Greening the room: A quasi-experimental study on the presence of potted plants in study rooms on mood, cognitive performance, and perceived environmental quality among university students

Due to mounting concerns about the psychological well-being of university students, it is useful to consider whether and how the quality of the physical study environment can improve students' functioning. The present study examined the presence of potted plants within a university library study room on students' self-reported mood (i.e., fatigue and vigor), self-reported cognitive performance (i.e., attention and productivity), perceived environmental quality (i.e., room satisfaction, attractiveness, and comfort), and recorded duration of stay in the study room. We conducted a real-life quasi-experimental study in which potted plants were introduced in one study room (intervention group) whereas nothing changed in another study room (control group). Cross-sectional data of the dependent and co-variables were collected among separate groups of students pre- and post-intervention using questionnaires (N = 445) and recordings of students' duration of stay in the study room (N = 1029). The pretest-posttest change in attractiveness (B = 0.53, 95% CI = 0.33; 0.72) and comfort (B = 0.29, 95% CI = 0.08; 0.51) was greater in the study room with potted plants than the pretest-posttest change in attractiveness and comfort in the study room without plants. Students’ reasons to study in the room with potted plants next time they study included the perceived environmental quality, atmosphere, it being more relaxing, the homey feel, and indoor climate. Nevertheless, the pretest-posttest change in vigor (B = 0.29, 95% CI = −0.57; −0.01) was lower in the room with potted plants than the pretest-posttest change in vigor in the study room without plants, and no meaningful associations between the presence of potted plants and fatigue, cognitive performance, and duration of stay in the study room were found. Overall, findings suggest that students preferred the study room with potted plants to the one without. However, the findings do not support the hypothesis that adding potted plants to a study room improves mood or cognitive performance among students.