People have different ways of boosting their concentration. Some do some quick exercise like shake their hands between tasks while others drink coffee. Now, a team of researchers from Australia has revealed another way of boosting a person's concentration and productivity.

Findings of a study conducted by researchers from the University of Melbourne showed that glancing momentarily out the window may help boost concentration but here's the catch: you need to see green.

Looking at a green roof for a mere 40 seconds was found to markedly increase concentration, showing that green gardens on rooftops are not just beneficial for the environment. They also work wonders for workers' productivity.

For the study, which was published in the Journal of Environmental Psychology, researchers involved 150 students who were given boring and attention-sapping tasks. The students were asked to hit keyboard keys every time a number flashes on the computer screen except when the number that shows up is three.

The students were then assigned to look at a rooftop scene. Half of them looked at a green roof and the other half looked at a concrete one. The researchers found that those who looked at the green roof committed fewer errors and exhibited superior concentration on the rest of the task than their counterparts who looked at the concrete roof.

Study researcher Kate Lee, from the University of Melbourne, said that the green roof boosted the mental resources controlling attention, which explains why a moment of looking at green boosts tired workers.

She said that besides helping the environment, green roofs can boost productivity and this could have significant implications for employees and workplaces.

"We know that green roofs are great for the environment, but now we can say that they boost attention, too. Imagine the impact that has for thousands of employees working in nearby offices," Lee said. "Certainly this study has implications for workplace well-being and adds extra impetus to continue greening our cities.

Lee said that green roofs can improve life quality, especially when there is not enough space that can be allotted for parks and that the result of the study could impact urban planners by providing evidence that a moment of green can help boost people's productivity. Lee's next research will look at the impact of workplace greening on the creativity of workers.

The color green has also long been known to be good to the eyes.

Photo: PNWRA | Flickr