Daylight Timing, Natural Scent, and Outdoor View on Cognitive Performance in Office Settings

¹ School of Civil, Environmental and Sustainable Engineering, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85281, USA
² School of Architecture, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634, USA
³ School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, 85281
⁴ School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, 85281

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Abstract

The role of multisensory environments in supporting human performance has become a growing focus in indoor environmental quality (IEQ) research. This study investigates the combined effects of daylight timing, natural scents, and access to an outdoor view on cognitive performance in office settings. A controlled experiment exposed participants to morning and afternoon daylight conditions combined with rosemary or frankincense scent while also providing an outdoor view of natural elements. Environmental variables such as illuminance (lux), correlated color temperature (CCT), equivalent melanopic lux (EML), indoor air quality (IAQ), and thermal conditions were continuously monitored to ensure stable indoor conditions. Cognitive performance was assessed using the Joggle Research battery of eight validated digital behavioral tasks covering attention, memory, sensorimotor and processing speed, reasoning and executive function, spatial skills, risk taking, and sustained vigilance. Physiological responses were tracked using wearable sensors; this conference paper reports skin temperature and heart rate variability (HRV), while other physiological measures (heart rate, electrodermal activity [EDA], and EEG [alpha peak]), along with the full set of survey results on comfort and well-being, will be reported in a forthcoming journal article. A small subset of subjective IEQ ratings (daylight, air quality, thermal comfort) is reported here. The study examines whether rosemary in the morning and frankincense in the afternoon provide cognitive benefits when combined with natural daylight and an outdoor view, compared to using scents without regard to timing. The results suggest that the timing of scent use can influence cognitive outcomes, with certain scent-time combinations being more effective in supporting cognitive performance than using scents at random times of day. Access to an outdoor view, compared to no-view, improved Joggle Research scores for both scents at both times of day, with the largest gain in the rosemary-afternoon block, and produced small but statistically significant changes in skin temperature (rosemary-AM) and HRV (rosemary-PM). Taken together, these results highlight the importance of combining sensory factors, daylight, natural scent, and an outdoor view in workplace environments. By demonstrating how these factors interact to enhance cognitive performance, this study provides new insight into multisensory IEQ strategies. The findings may inform workplace design practices aimed at improving productivity and well-being through well-chosen combinations of daylight, natural scent, and outdoor view.