Burnard, Michael, and Andreja Kutnar. “Wood And Human Stress In The Built Indoor Environment: A Review.” Wood Science & Technology 49.5 (2015): 969. Publisher Provided Full Text Searching File. Web. 2 Feb. 2016.
The authors, Michael D. Burnard and Andreja Kutnar test the hypothesis that indoor built environments with natural materials, specifically wood, decrease stress. They use critically evaluated articles that previously studied the psychophysiological responses to wood as well as recent papers as their support. In order to monitor the stress levels of the individuals, the studies they reviewed conducted saliva tests and monitored the Autonomic nervous system. Their findings lead them to the conclusion that the use of wood has a positive effect on people, because it reduces stress levels. However, the authors also state that more studies need to be conducted in order for this conclusion to be proven true.
I decided to read this paper because it was well written and provided me with more insight on how the indoor built environment affects human behavior. None the less, the paper has flaws in the sources it used. Most of the data they discussed was biased in regards to how they collected and tested the samples. Regardless, this paper opened my mind to how indoor built environments also affect people.
