Bake-Off a Winner!

Are you following The Great British Bake-Off?  If you are, that’s great because Bake-Off’s sets are doing all sorts of good things from an environmental psych perspective.

The Bake-Off happens in a tent, which is pretty astounding.  Except over campfires, when toasting a marshmallow, is about as sophisticated as cooking gets, not much takes place food-wise outside.  There’s research indicating that doing a usual activity in an unusual location can spur us to think more creatively, which may be why so many yummy things seem to happen on Bake-Off.

Spending time in natural light has a positive effect on what’s going in our heads, and there is plenty of daylight in the Bake-Off tent.  It flows into the space from all angles.  When we’re in natural light our cognitive performance improves (so deciphering confusing technical challenge directions is less of an issue) along with our mood.  When our mood gets a boost, we’re better at things such as problem solving, coming up with innovative solutions, and getting along with other people, for example.  That better getting along no doubt is a real plus when a camera man gets too close and things are just not going well after a soufflé fall.

The sides of the Bake-Off tent also let in nature views and the interior space has its fair share of green leafy plants in view.  Seeing nature is an important tenet of biophilic design.  When we’re in a space that’s biophilically designed we’re more likely to feel comfortable and relaxed, which can’t help but help during a tough competition like Bake-Off.  Biophilic experiences are good for our brains and bodies, generally, helping to keep our stress levels in check.

Besides the plants and the nature and the sunlight, the Bake-Off sets have other things going for them visually, from a scientific perspective.  Most colours in use are not very saturated but relatively bright, which is relaxing, and visual complexity (at least when the pots and pans and tools are put away) is moderate, so stress from visual clutter is minimal.  Counter surfaces feature visible wood grain, which is also a great stressbuster.  Contestants can see each other as they work, and that’s probably good for morale.  Viewing others helps us regulate our mood—so as long as one calm contestant remains in sight, there’s hope that the rest will be able to keep it together long enough to show off whatever they’ve concocted to Paul and Prue.  People who are highly stressed and in isolation, without any visual access to others, can lose control of their emotional state because they can’t use info from others’ reactions to gauge what an appropriate response is in the stress producing situation.  An example:  if everyone else is able to deal (relatively calmly) with the hot temperatures that are wreaking havoc with my chocolate or humidity levels that’re clumping my spun sugar into a giant sodden lump, I am likely to feel that I can master my chocolate and sugar also, without losing my cool!

As a television viewer, I can only review the visual experiences of being on the set.  The nature setting makes it likely that, at least, occasionally, it’s possible to hear birds, and gently rustling leaves and the other sorts of natural sounds, the sort that calm our nerves and refresh our brains.  The scents onset are no doubt astonishingly appetizing, and are likely to include typical baking smells—and when those smells are of lemons they’re good for smellers’ cognitive performance and when cinnamon-vanilla smells prevail creativity gets a boost—and the smell of vanilla is soothing to all, even frazzled sound technicians.

Maybe Bake-Off should invite me on set for a fuller analysis.  I am also available to taste anything that Prue and Paul would like assessed from an environmental psych perspective.