The Influence Our Surrounding Environments Have On Us

We are often unaware of how influential the environment we surround or place ourselves in may impact our overall state of wellbeing.

As much as we would like to think that during most times we are immune to our surroundings, we are not. In fact, our surroundings affect us in many different ways, and possibly impact our personal needs, interests, and mindsets. On a daily basis, we are in constant contact with the environment we choose to place ourselves in, and the main factors, such as color, location, nature, family, and social environment, they all influence the way we behave and how we interact. All those factors are underestimated very often. We, as sensitive creatures, have an awareness of the environment we are in, and during most times, we try to seek places with certain qualities.

Each of us perceives things like color differently, triggering emotions dissimilar to each other, affecting our mood and behavior. Throughout the course of our lives, humans tend to associate color with an emotion that was evoked at the very moment it was introduced visually, making us base it (i.e. color) on our experiences.

Visiting different places around the world help widen our perspective and boost our sense of wanderlust. We become curious, thus leading to improved knowledge, and as a result, we grow. We become better versions of ourselves and develop a more appreciative attitude towards life.

Natural environments impact us mentally by providing peace and mindfulness, however, as much as it positively impacts, it can be mentally negative resulting in issues such as “Seasonal Affective Disorder” which is a form of depression related to the changes that occur to seasons. Despite the fact that most of us might be more comfortable staying within the same environments without changing, a lot of people enjoy the concept of exploration, which may mean the opposite.

The environment subconsciously creates our moods, electrifying it with motivating energy and emotions of joy, or bringing it down and causing negative feelings such as anxiety or stress. Several studies were made to support such facts- one of them made by the University of Texas, where researchers found that employees were less productive when they worked in a white or monochromatic white room. Colors, which may be underestimated by the general public, are able to inspire negative work emotions or the other way around.

Aside from the impact on the mood, emotions provoked by the environment can facilitate interactions among people as much as it can discourage it. People are either gathered and united, or feel separated and isolated. So how is your surrounding affecting you today?

To look more into the study by the University of Texas:  https://www.informedesign.org/_news/jan_v05r-p.pdf