Scientists create 'World's Most Relaxing Room'

Hertfordshire, UK, October 22: With an aim to calm the stressful lives of people lost in the hustle and bustle of modern-day life, Prof. Richard Wiseman has created the "World's Most Relaxing Room" at the University of Hertfordshire.

This innovative room is presently being showcased at the University’s de Havilland campus and will be open till October 24.

Prof. Wiseman said, "The pace of modern-day life, credit crunch, and financial crisis is making many people feel very stressed and so we have created this space to help them relax."

The room has been designed exquisitely with a range of customized settings. Illuminated with soft green light, the room has been roofed with an artificial blue sky. The sweet fragrance of lavender breezing through the room coupled with the melodic tones of a low frequency lullaby brings an eternal serenity to the dweller.

Talking about the room's ambience, Prof. Wiseman said, "Research suggests that the subdued green light enhances the production of dopamine in the brain and provide a calming sensation. In addition, the artificial blue sky helps create a mild form of sensory deprivation that will help them turn their attention inward and distract them away from daily stress."

During the Showcase, groups of up to ten visitors at a time are invited to enter this room where they can enjoy a 15 minute long, complete relaxation session. While inside the room, they can experience the "mild sensory deprivation" which would help in reducing their stress level.

Professor Wiseman said, "Previous work has shown that these colours, sounds and smells all help people relax, but this is the first time that they have been combined in this way, and it will be fascinating to look at the effect on visitors’ relaxation levels."

The music that will be played inside this new multimedia space has been specially composed by Tim Blinko who is a music professor at the Hertfordshire University.

"Richard asked me to create a piece of music with a slow and distinct rhythm, low frequency notes, and no sudden changes in tempo," noted Professor Blinko. “I have completely re-written a piece especially for this project. It features a solo soprano voice, chosen for the soothing properties of the human voice, together with a Tibetan singing bowl, used in meditation and a string ensemble," he added.