Wellness & Beauty

Wood is recognized for its natural warmth and aesthetic beauty. And today scientific research is confirming being exposed to natural materials, such as wood, can have measurable health benefits and is associated with a greater sense of physical well-being.

• “Research into the causality of the many positive biophilic responses to these experiences of nature is an expanding field that draws from disciplines of environmental psychology, evolutionary psychology, endocrinology, and neuroscience. Early biophilia research focused on the responses to viewing and experiencing natural environments. One of the best-known studies found that having a view to nature led to better healing outcomes among hospital patients.
  
  Research continues to indicate that nature-made and human-made objects and environments are processed differently in our brains. Humans subconsciously sort between naturally occurring and anthropogenic creations and seem to prefer those that are nature-made. Similarly, humans subconsciously sort between the motion patterns of living versus mechanical, processing each of the two in different areas of the brain.
  
  While wooden objects are crafted by humans – a process that is often considered manufactured or unnatural – the wood itself is still considered to be “natural”, which may hint at why research suggests we like having wood around us in buildings. Wood has been used in the construction of shelter and artifacts for thousands of years in cultures around the world. It historically has been a plentiful resource that is readily shaped by simple tools. Today there are a host of human-made materials that are available for construction, interior finishes, and furniture; so why is it that we continue to prefer wood?
  
  PREFERENCES FOR WOOD 
  Wood is often described by research participants as being “warm, comfortable, relaxing, natural, and inviting” and people believe that “wood can help to create healthful environments”. Some experimental work has investigated biophilic responses to wood, much of which is focused on response to wood as a visual element within an interior space. The visual presence of wood in a room is known to lead to perceptions of warmth. In a room with white walls, the addition of wood surfaces has shown to lower stress more effectively than the addition of a few plants. In other research, rooms with (about 45% of the) surfaces being wood have shown to boost perceptions of comfort and lower blood pressure, even among study participants who expressed a dislike for the wood. Our sense of touch and smell are also suggested to induce biophilic responses to wood—through haptic and olfactory experiences.”
  
  “There are a range of meaningful physiological and psychological benefits of being in a space with wood products and surfaces. 
  
  Lowered pressure and lowered heart rate 
  Increased activation of the parasympathetic nervous system/calming 
  Perception of warmth 
  Expressed visual preference for the space 
  Wood is perceived to be connected to living things”
  
  Reference: The Nature of Wood: An Exploration of the Science on Biophilic Responses to Wood (2022), Terrapin Bright Green. Pages 4-5. Full Report