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The Aquatic Nature Aquarium Advantage

Plants have been known to provide numerous psychological and health benefits when found in our living spaces and working areas. They add life and colour, soften our surroundings and are a focal point of relaxation.

The greatest advantage of an Aquatic Nature Aquarium is the improvement of life its provides through natural beauty. Here are a few academic studies that proves the positive impact of plants. (If you do not want to read the sources, just skip to the summary.)

Improved Memory & Concentration Advantage | “Keeping plants in the home and in the workplace increases memory retention and concentration. The calming influence of natural environments is conducive to positive work environments by increasing a person’s ability to concentrate on the task at hand. Work performed under the natural influence of plants is normally of higher quality and completed with a much higher accuracy rate than work done in environments devoid of nature. A recent University of Michigan study showed that being under the influence of plants can increase memory retention up to twenty percent. The effect of nature in the home and in the workplace serves to stimulate both the senses and the mind, improving mental cognition and performance.”  (Bisco Werner 1996; Brethour 2007; Frank 2003; Pohmer 2008; Serwach 2008; Shibata, 2001, 2004; Yannick 2009)

Improved Stress Management Advantage | “Keeping plants around the home and in the workplace greatly reduces a person’s stress levels. Natural aesthetic beauty is soothing to people, and is an excellent way to lower levels of stress and anxiety. People who keep plants in their home feel happier, less stressed, and more relaxed. As a result of the positive energy they derive from the environment, the chances of suffering from stress-related depression are decreased as well. Overall, adding plants to your home or work environment reduces your perceived stress levels and makes you feel more relaxed, secure, and happy. It can also help you achieve a more optimistic outlook on your life, bringing you both pleasing visual stimulation and helping you to increase your perceived happiness.” (Brethour 2007, Collins 2008, Dunnet 2000, Etcoff 2007, Frank 2003, Haviland-Jones 2005, Hartig 2010, McFarland 2010, Rappe 2005, Waliczek 2000)

Improved Relationship Advantage | “Plants affect the levels of compassion that people feel for others. Studies have shown that people who spend more time around plants are much more likely to try and help others, and often have more advanced social relationships. People who care for nature are more likely to care for others, reaching out to their peers and forming shared bonds resulting from their common interests. Extended exposure to nature and wildlife increases people’s compassion for each other as it increases people’s compassion for the environment in which they live. In short, being around plants can help to improve relationships between people and increase their concern and empathy toward others. ” (Brethour 2007, Etcoff 2007, Frank 2003, Hagen 2009, Haviland-Jones 2005, Pohmer 2008, Rappe 2005)

Improved Energy Advantage | “Spending time in nature gives people an increased feeling of vitality, increasing their energy levels and making them feel more animated. Their performance levels are, in turn, increased by this improved state of mind. Natural environments induce a positive outlook on life, making people feel more alive and active. When people experience increased vigor, they put more of themselves and their energy into their work. Plants can help people to improve their performance at work and at home by increasing their perceived vitality and giving them more feelings of added energy.” (Bernstein 2009, Brethour 2007, Bringslimark 2007, Dravigne 2008, Etcoff 2007, Kaplan 1995, Kuo 2001a, Pennsylvania Landscape and Nursery Assn. 2009, Rappe 2005, Shoemaker 1992, Univ. of Rochester 2010)

Improved Child Learning Advantage | “Keeping plants in a child’s learning environment enhances learning capabilities by helping them to focus and concentrate. This improves their ability to learn new things and makes it easier for them to absorb and retain information. Plants are conducive to generating a positive learning environment, reducing children’s tendency towards distraction and helping them to be better able concentrate on school work. Specifically for children with problems paying attention, adding plants to the classroom can have a dramatic positive effect on the way they learn. For example, children with Attention Deficit Disorder, learning in a natural environment can help them to engage more in the classroom, improving their focus and concentration on the task at hand. The soothing effects of natural aesthetic beauty help to minimize the distractions that would otherwise occupy their minds. By altering the environment in which children learn, plants can help them to learn better.” (Faber Taylor 2001a, Frank 2003, Kellert 2002, Kuo 2004, Lieberman 1998)

Improved Quality of Life | “Beautiful natural landscapes not only improve the aesthetics of the community, they also affect resident’s perceived quality of life. People associate living in areas with a great deal of natural beauty with a higher quality of life. A high quality of life, in turn, benefits the entire community, because residents spend more money and positively affect the economy and social pulse of the town and can also attract new businesses. Thriving communities are ones in which natural beauty is appreciated as a part of an overall high quality of life, which is why installing landscaping is crucial to both the success and happiness of the individual and the public.” (Brethour 2007, Bisco Werner 1996, McFarland 2010, Nadel 2005, Phipps Botanical Gardens and Conservatory 2010, Wolf 2004b, Younis 2008)

To sum it all up;

Being around plants helps people concentrate better in the home and workplace and tasks performed while under the calming influence of nature are performed better and with greater accuracy, yielding a higher quality result. Plants also greatly improves people’s moods and reduces the likelihood of stress-related depression while increasing levels of positive energy, vitality and help people feel secure and relaxed.

Research proves that people who spend extended lengths of time around plants tend to have better relationships with others. due to measurable increases in feelings of compassion; another effect of exposure plants. People associate a beautiful replication of nature with a higher quality of life.

Children who spend time around plants learn better. In addition, being around natural environments improves the ability of children with Attention Deficit Disorder to focus, concentrate, and engage more with their surrounding environment.

And if all these benefits can be had with just static, ornamental plants, imagine how a beautiful, bubbling replication of an aquatic garden is going to increase theses benefits manifold!