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If you’re bored with the idea of spending even more time locked up in your home, let scientific writer Emily Anthes convince you that it’s at least an interesting place to be. Her new book,. The great interior, explores all kinds of things that happen between walls, from the microscopic creatures that live in showers to the reasons why it’s healthy for rooms to have windows. The book also goes through the research and design behind other interior spaces outside the home, from the dimensions of the operating rooms, to the seating plans of the offices and the characteristics of the hypothetical outposts on Mars. It’s hard to read the book without constantly thinking about how everything relates to the coronavirus. The way in which spaces can be configured to facilitate or reduce human contact, and what to play with that does to our happiness, productivity and health, is a great topic. (Also, doesn’t Mars sound good now?)
Anthes describes herself as a person “without complexes inside” who has been working from home since before the pandemic. I spoke to her about what we can all be doing to improve our interior spaces and the very strange moment in her book. Our conversation has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity.
Shannon Palus: What is the interior space like where you work?
Emily Anthes: I work in my living room sitting on my sofa, which is extremely non-ergonomic, but it’s a habit.
What I like about this workspace is that I have a lot of natural light and, during the publication of the book, I became very convinced of the power of plants. I have constantly turned my living room into a little jungle. I have probably 20 plants here of various types and sizes. I find it relaxing and relaxing to be surrounded by greenery. When people ask me what they can do to improve their interior space, what many people are doing these days, the number 1 recommendation I make is plants.
What does research say about the power of plants?
We know they are very good at relieving stress. They appear to have cognitive benefits. People who are surrounded by greenery tend to have longer attention spans and better concentration. Children who go to school in classrooms surrounded by nature tend to have better test scores. They have curative effects; Patients who are hospitalized and have a view that looks at vegetation or some type of natural landscape tend to use less pain relievers. Plants can really have a powerful effect on all kinds of aspects of our functioning. They don’t even have to be real plants. Artificial plants can have the same benefits. So do things like nature photos, or, as some studies suggest, nature sounds, such as tree rustling, a stream, or birdsong, may have some of the same benefits of bringing a plant real to your home.
How could an artificial plant be useful?
There are a couple of different theories as to why vegetation is beneficial. They are probably operating in concert, there is no definitive explanation. One is the biophilia hypothesis, which postulates that because we evolve surrounded by plants and vegetation, we have an innate affinity for them. They make us feel rested and calm; The subsequent benefits come from that stress reduction. There is a similar but slightly different theory known as the attention restoration theory. That holds that nature and plants breed what is called a gentle fascination. They are interesting and interesting, but it doesn’t take much cognitive work to observe a plant. It gives your brain a rest. Then there have been some more recent mechanistic studies looking at how walking in a forest really seems to boost the immune system – it can quantify changes in immune cells. It seems that some real physiological changes are taking place, but there is still a lot to learn about how everything develops.
One statement you see a lot is that plants will be good for your air. In theory, that is true. Plants can absorb certain pollutants from the air. But in practice, studies show that you would have to have a basically impossible density in your home for it to make a difference: numerous plants per square foot to start affecting air quality.
One thing you wrote about where science is no There is probiotic spray for houses Can you talk about that?
The promise is that you can spray this good bacteria in your home and that will boost your immune system. Science isn’t even close to there yet. Even studies of oral probiotics have been disappointing. Even if we find out what effective probiotics are, one of the scientists told me, it seems unlikely that the best way to take a vitamin is to spray it around your room and walk through the cloud.
If you were reporting for the book now, during the pandemic, what would you be exploring more?
Now he has focused a lot on how we can stay connected with friends and family, how we can set up all these remote social events. Not as much attention is paid to our need for privacy and personal space, which is a fundamental need we have and which can be difficult to achieve when you share a small apartment with another person 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. I’m interested to see if there are proven, evidence-based ways to divide personal space, even when the total amount of interior space isn’t huge. We have seen issues related to this in outer space, or at Antarctic bases, where people are trapped with the same crew day after day for months. We know that there may be irritability and depression as a result of not having enough personal space.
Is there anything you have done to create more private space for yourself during the pandemic?
I was thinking about what one of the researchers who has studied simulated space missions told me, which is that privacy is not just visual privacy. It is not just closing behind a door. There is olfactory privacy and auditory privacy. Inspired by that, I’ve been doing things like sitting on the same couch as my boyfriend, but we both have headphones on and are listening to our own music or podcasts. It’s the smallest, but it creates a feeling of refuge, a little way that you can create your own world when you don’t have your own space to work.
How has the promotion of a book been at the moment?
I think most authors who have books right now would say it has been strange. I feel it has been particularly strange for this book because it has been so unexpectedly timely. This is not a news hook I would have asked for. If I could snap my fingers and make the pandemic go away, it would be in an instant. I think one of the silver linings is that many people think more about their indoor environments and pay more attention to them. COVID-19 is essentially an interior disease; It is almost completely extending indoors. I think there is an opportunity here if we want to take advantage of it, if we really want to think about how we can create healthier indoor environments. That includes environments that protect us from COVID-19, but it goes much further than that.
