Roger Ulrich
The researcher behind the hospital-window study and the stress reduction theory, two of the best-known ideas in this field.
1 min read · Updated 11 November 2026 · Last checked 11 November 2026
Life and work #
In 1984 Ulrich reported in Science that surgical patients with a window view of trees recovered a little faster and needed fewer strong painkillers than patients facing a brick wall. It was a small study of one hospital.1
With colleagues he later published experiments on recovery from stress in natural and urban settings, and the idea that natural scenes calm the body’s stress response is known as stress reduction theory.2
What to be careful about #
I have not found a biography in the sources I used, so I give no dates or career details. The 1984 study is small, which is why the research pages here treat it as suggestive and not conclusive.
On this site #
See also: Qing Li, Yoshifumi Miyazaki.
Notes
- Roger S. Ulrich, 'View through a window may influence recovery from surgery', Science 224 (1984), 420–1. ↩
- Roger S. Ulrich and colleagues, 'Stress recovery during exposure to natural and urban environments', Journal of Environmental Psychology 11 (1991), 201–30. ↩
Modern works cited
- Roger S. Ulrich, 'View through a window may influence recovery from surgery', Science 224 (1984), 420–1 — abstract online
- Roger S. Ulrich and colleagues, 'Stress recovery during exposure to natural and urban environments', Journal of Environmental Psychology 11 (1991), 201–30
Cite this page. The Garden, ‘Roger Ulrich’, https://camelmaps.org/garden/person.php, last updated 11 November 2026, last checked 11 November 2026. What has changed.