ANGELICO DAVID L.

DELACRUZ MARCH 01, 2023

BS CRIM SIR EMMAN MANTALA

What Impact Does the Environment Have on Us?

Humans have always needed to be sensitive to their environment to survive, so

we are innately aware of it and are drawn to locations that have characteristics.

First and foremost, humans have a strong desire for protection and security and

actively seek those qualities out in their surroundings. Humans also seek out physical

comfort, such as the proper temperature in a setting. Also, we look for a setting that is

psychologically soothing, such as familiar surroundings with just the perfect amount of

stimulation.

Retailers and the hospitality sector are aware of this and work hard to create an

environment that offers three crucial qualities: comfort, safety, and entertainment. These

qualities are equally crucial in the medical field.

The effects of the environment on you

Here are a few examples of the effects the environment can have on you.

1. The environment has the power to encourage or inhibit human connection (and

the subsequent benefits of social support). A pleasant setting with cozy chairs and

solitude, for instance, can entice a family to stay and interact with a patient.

2. The environment has an impact on people's motivation and conduct. For instance,

employees will be more likely to leave another item in the hallway if the hallway is
 dirty and cluttered with unnecessary hospital equipment than if it is clean and has

enough storage.

3. The surroundings can affect how you feel. For instance, the findings of numerous

studies show that brightly lit spaces, both natural and artificial, can enhance a

variety of health outcomes, including sadness, agitation, and sleep.

What about stress?

Most crucially for health, the environment has the power to increase or

decrease stress, which has a variety of effects on our bodies. This occurs because

of ongoing interactions between our brain and our neurological, endocrine, and

immunological systems. What you are thinking at any given time is altering your biology,

according to neuroscientist Candice Pert.

A patient may experience higher blood pressure, a faster heart rate, and tightness

in their muscles because of the stress of being in a noisy, confused hospital ward, in

addition to feeling anxious, depressed, or helpless. Moreover, hormones produced in

response to mental stress may weaken the patient's immune system, delaying the healing

of his wounds.

A critical factor in enhancing health outcomes is creating an environment that

decreases stress, which is a crucial medical aspect.

What is the evidence?

There is a ton of credible data that shows a connection between hospital

environments and patient outcomes. Authors of the 2004 study The Role of the Physical

Environment in the 21st Century Hospital Ulrich and Zimming claim that more than
600 reliable research demonstrate how elements of hospital architecture can affect

medical results.

In essence, this research demonstrates how the traditional hospital architecture

factors towards stress and poor patient and worker outcomes. Bad design can have a

negative effect on staff productivity, patient care quality, and employee health and

wellbeing. For instance, due to poor design, nurses in most hospitals must spend a lot of

time simply obtaining the supplies they need to provide patient care. According to one

study, walking accounts for roughly one-third of the time spent by nursing staff.

The physical environment, on the other hand, can be improved to make healthcare

settings less stressful, safer, and better places to work.

Five environmental elements have been identified by experts in the emerging field

of evidence-based design as having a significant impact on health outcomes. A healing

atmosphere that is psychologically beneficial for patients, family, and staff can be created

with changes in these areas. These findings are also being used in other hospitals and

healthcare facilities.

Impact of environment on human behavior

Many aspects of the built environment, such as space allocation, lighting, access

to nature, color, indoor air quality, noise, thermal comfort, user control of space, and

preferred surroundings, have an impact on people's mood and wellness (i.e., those that

are coherent and engaging).

 A large body of research demonstrates the beneficial impacts of daylight on human

psyche and health. Many studies in the medical field demonstrate that patients assigned

to sunny rooms generally recover more quickly than those assigned to dimly lit rooms.

Better cognitive functioning, increased self-control and impulse control, and overall

better mental health are all results of access to nature and green spaces. Reduced access

to nature is connected to increased attention deficit, greater rates of anxiety disorders,

and higher rates of clinical depression.

The quantity, distribution, and design of interior spaces can have a significant

impact on a person's psychological well-being. Territoriality, personal space, privacy, and

congestion are a few of the major psychological factors that affect how space is allocated.

In some situations (such on a dance floor or during a baseball game), crowds can

inspire people. Nonetheless, being crowded oftentimes causes people to feel anxious.

Those who are unusually sensitive to touch could feel especially uncomfortable in

crowded settings where they might come into contact with people physically.

Research has demonstrated that color is important to the perception of space,

building form, wayfinding, ambience, and image. In the Western world, people focus more

energy on what they see than on any other sense. Although researchers continue to look

into how color directly affects human behavior, they largely agree that hue, saturation,

and brightness—the three primary aspects of color—have an impact.

At businesses, "too much noise from other employees is often the reason that

workers say they require privacy, and more noise is related to reduced job satisfaction,"

claims research. It has been demonstrated that noise from coworkers directly affects
stress levels, with greater noise being associated with more stress. People can still be

negatively impacted by noise even if they are not aware that it is distracting them. In

general, when workers think that they are distracted, they become less content with the

physical environment in which they operate.

Due to variations in personality, life stage, gender, culture, social conventions, and

experiences, there are different interpretations of privacy, just like there are for personal

space. Privacy is a fundamental human desire that helps people feel in control and

releases their emotions. Those who lack access to enough privacy, on the other hand,

may feel powerless over their surroundings or lives, which can result in a lack of

autonomy, learned dependence on others, and learned helplessness.

Especially stress the point that a long-term healthy civilization depends on a

healthy environment. The greatest strategy to advance the welfare of both causes may

be to acknowledge the interrelationship between human health and the health of the

natural environment.

Environmental effects on Human Behavior

It is well recognized that a person's surroundings can have a significant influence

on their conduct. Environment variables include things like temperature, noise level, and

lighting. In relation to this, I've frequently pondered why I am unable to concentrate or

study at home unless everything is perfectly quiet, the house is spotlessly clean, candles

are lit, and I'm dressed comfortably. I ask yourself, "Why am I like this?" I'm sure there

are others out there who are like this, even though this could seem so strange to some

people. those who require their ideal atmosphere to concentrate at home (or elsewhere).
References:

• What Impact Does the Environment Have on Us? | Taking Charge of Your

Health & Wellbeing. (n.d.). Taking Charge of Your Health & Wellbeing.

https://www.takingcharge.csh.umn.edu/what-impact-does-environment-have-

us#:~:text=The%20environment%20can%20facilitate%20or,behavior%20and%2

0motivation%20to%20act.

• Environmental effects on Human Behavior | Applied Social Psychology

(ASP). (2018, February 4).

https://sites.psu.edu/aspsy/2018/02/04/environmental-effects-on-human-

behavior/

• Impact of environment on human behaviour. (2020, August 24). Times of

India Blog. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/readersblog/impact-of-

environment-on-human-behaviour/impact-of-environment-on-human-behaviour-

25080/