Would you believe that WHERE you study can actually make a difference in how WELL you study? Would you believe that even the plants, carpet, fabric, garbage bags, and paint in your own house can affect your learning? Read on to find out more about it.

Lots of learners have a hard time staying focused. Some of the problems can simply be attentional problems, but there might be another reason. That reason might be the air around them. A former NASA scientist, who has studied the effects of plants on indoor environments for more than 20 years, says that some plants may help improve air quality because they remove some chemicals.

Some chemicals that plants remove from the air are formaldehyde, acetone, xylene, toluene, benzene, ammonia, and other acetates. These toxins are found in building materials like particle board, plywood, paneling, carpet-backing, adhesives, many fabrics, and garbage bags. Other common irritants include fresh paint, new furniture, and new flooring. Studies show that these chemicals show a connection to bad concentration, headaches, fatigue, and eye or nose irritation. More claims include the causing of asthma and other respiratory problems.

What are the top seven "plant performers" you ask? These are the plants that remove all those bad chemicals. Here they are: 1) palms; 2) Dracaena "Janet Craig"; 3) Rubber Plants; 4) English Ivy; 5) Ficus; 6) Boston Ferns; and 7) Spider Plants. Now, how much can these plants affect your learning? Right now, researchers are not able to give it an exact percentage, but everything you do to improve a learning environment is probably worthwhile.

Some studies have shown that natural lighting (from the sun) is better than fluorescent lights or incandescent bulbs (regular light bulbs). Learners stay focused longer and perform better with natural lighting.

The best temperature for learning seems to be around 67-70 degrees. Even a small difference of 1-2 degrees can harm learning. So if you don't have air conditioning at school or home, ask parents and teachers to open windows and take you outside on those really hot days.
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