One of the most surprising discoveries while researching De Gelukscode was how much our physical environment affects not just our mood, but our actual physiology. I expected to find that context shapes behaviour. I didn't expect to find that it shapes healing.
Researcher Roger Ulrich conducted a landmark study comparing patients recovering from gallbladder surgery. Some had rooms facing a brick wall. Others faced a small stand of trees.
The results were striking. Patients with the tree view recovered faster, needed fewer painkillers, and had fewer negative notes from nurses. Same surgery. Same care. Different window.
This wasn't placebo. This was environment directly affecting physiology.
I remember reading this study and thinking: if a view of trees can speed up recovery from surgery, what else are we getting wrong about the spaces we live and work in?
Ulrich's work launched the field of evidence-based healthcare design. We now know that natural light reduces depression in hospitals. That single rooms reduce infection rates. That views of nature lower blood pressure and cortisol. The building is not neutral. The building is part of the treatment.
But here's what bothers me: we know this, and most environments still ignore it. Offices without windows. Schools with views of car parks. Homes where the nicest room faces the street and the kitchen faces a wall. We keep building as if the view doesn't matter when decades of research says it profoundly does.
This became a central theme in De Gelukscode: we underestimate how much our surroundings shape our wellbeing, and we overestimate how much willpower can compensate for a badly designed environment.
How to use this insight:
Nature isn't a luxury. It's a performance and wellbeing variable that we can design for.
If you have any control over your workspace: Face your desk toward a window if possible. If not, research shows that even images of nature, real photographs, not abstract art, provide some of the same benefits. Plants help too, though less than views. The goal is bringing natural elements into your visual field during the workday.
If you're choosing where to live: Factor in the view, not as an aesthetic nicety but as a health variable. A cheaper flat with a park view might serve you better than an expensive one facing a wall. Consider: what will you see thousands of times a day? That repetition matters more than you'd think.
If you're designing anything, offices, schools, hospitals, public spaces: Prioritise natural light and views of greenery. If views aren't possible, bring nature inside: plants, water features, natural materials. This isn't about making spaces "nice." It's about making them functional for human beings who evolved outdoors.
If you're a parent: Children's cognitive performance and stress levels are affected by the same variables. A bedroom facing a garden isn't just pleasant, it's protective. When choosing schools, look at the windows, the playground, the presence of trees. These aren't frills.
If you're stuck in an environment you can't change: Take breaks outside. Even five minutes of walking in a green space has measurable effects on mood and focus. If you can't change your daily view, you can punctuate your day with exposure to nature. The research shows it compounds.
If you're making decisions about ageing parents: Care home selection often focuses on staff ratios and medical facilities. Add this question: what will they see from their room? A view of trees might matter as much as the physiotherapy schedule.
We spend 90% of our lives indoors. The indoors should earn that time.
Want to understand what people are really telling you?
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Deep Dive: Gedragsinterviews 15 juni 2026 · 09:30–17:00 · 's-Gravenhekje 1a, Amsterdam €890 excl. BTW · Inclusief Interview Toolkit
0.5 MINUTES: NOT TO BE MISSED
Why We Walk Faster in Cities
Psychologist Robert Levine measured walking speeds across 31 countries. The pattern was clear: the bigger and more economically developed the city, the faster people walked.
It's not just busyness. It's contagion. We unconsciously match the pace of people around us. Fast cities create fast walkers who create faster cities.
Levine also found that pace correlates with heart disease rates. The speed isn't free.
The insight: your pace probably isn't a choice. It's absorbed from context. If you want to slow down, you might need to change your environment, not just your intentions.
Here's to the stubborn optimists, who unlock the power of Behavioural Design for optimising work, life, and everything in between.
Until next week,
Astrid Groenewegen
Co-Founder of SUE | Behavioural Design Academy, Author of 'The Art of Designing Behaviour' / 'De Kunst van Gedrag Ontwerpen' and ‘De Gelukscode’.
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