The Neuroscience of Architecture

11 May 2009 - 5:00am

Recent studies in neuroscience show that the design of the built environment affects the way you feel and your behavior. New brain scan technology is revealing emotional reactions to color choice, rounded corners, and ceiling height.

"In the current issue of Scientific American Mind, Emily Anthes describes how ceiling height, colors and other design factors influence attention and creativity. Scientists are just beginning to address these questions, in part by studying changes in brain activity as subjects make their way through virtual reality rooms."

"Are we hard-wired to dislike minimal interiors? A joint study by MIT and the U.S. National Institute of Mental Health suggests that clutter increases the 'memorability' of a room and establishes a reassuring sense of place. In other words, a generous scattering of objects generates a fondness for the place."

Source: Fast Company, May 7, 2009
Bookmark and Share
Now, more than ever, Americans are clamoring to get out of their cars and have more transportation options than the car-centric approach first envisioned and deployed in the 1950s is providing.