We chose Air Purifiers and think they make our rooms cooler…
Cooper and associates have learned that “One of the most widely available technologies to clean the air in homes of particulate matter of less than 2.5 µm in diameter (PM2.5), known to have negative health...
Fear affects us physically
Tashjian and colleagues studied what happens to us when we’re in a scary place (for this project, a haunted house with 17 rooms) and the social nature of fear-type responses. They share that “Threats...
Pollution actually stops us from making green choices…
Ming, Deng, and Wu found that “People are less willing to engage in PEB [pro-environmental behaviours] (e.g., purchasing pro-environmental products, recycling, sustainable travel, donation to environmental organizations) when air pollution is severe. . ....
New new new! We love new!
Ever wondered why we feel compelled to buy new stuff? Jie and Li found that “consumers exhibit mere newness preference across many product domains—preferring chronologically newer options over older options with no substantive benefits...
Living and Loving
February is love month. We’ve been hearing this since we have been old enough to hear anything at all. The consumer products juggernaut that fills all our communications with advertisements, sometimes now flowing like...
Let music and scents be the food of love!
In many a boudoir scene on the silver screen, not only do candles predominate, but before the person to be romanced arrives, some scent is sprayed in the air and background music begins to...
What does your home say about you?
At least according to the experts in these sorts of things, it seems most likely that people will form their most useful opinions of others when they actually have some idea who those other...
Love the planet too
Designing a place where you and other space users will feel comfortable and accomplish whatever you’re motivated to get done has more than the obvious positive implications. If a place works for you and...
Keep your mind and body refreshed
At this time of year, we all need a good break, even if it doesn’t seem like we’re even doing as much as usual. Being confined to our homes, by cold weather in the...
Getting along in the office too
Talking of love. Creating offices where people are going to get along is also important. We are not necessarily talking about having a romance over the water-cooler, but so people feel comfortable in a...
Photos on Dating Sites
There is an entire industry, oodles of professionals, who want to make sure that you dating site photo is all that it can possibly be and immediately leads to the love of your life....
Thinking about Smelling
The powerful effects of what we smell on how we live was discussed in a recent article in The New York Times—could it be that we’re about to enter “The Smell Age.” On January...
Generation What?
We regularly hear that the generation that someone’s in should drive the design of the space they’re in. Tom Standage’s review of The Generation Myth: Why When You’re Born Matters Less Than You Think...
“Awe”some is good!
The BBC has decided to talk about awe, something applied psychologists have been fascinated with for years. David Robson, on January 2, 2022 (“Awe: The ‘Little Earthquake’ That Could Free Your Mind,” https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20220103-awe-the-little-earthquake-that-could-free-your-mind) talks...
Eating red…
Does the colour of your plates make a difference to the amount and what you eat? Steele and Rash how red dishes affect what we eat… They share that that two previously published “articles...
How background music affects our interactions.
Chang and Kim’s findings will be particularly interesting to you if you’ve spent a lot of time during lockdowns watching movies. They report that “Films in general, and background music in particular, have the...
Ever wondered why green or red affect your coffee shop choice?
Motoki and teammates studied coffee shop design. They report that “Ratings of taste expectations, likelihood of visiting, and emotions were evaluated for each of 50 coffee shop images. . . . The results demonstrate...
Anthropology in Action
Walsh, Gorman, and Salmond studied International Space Station interiors and report their findings in this free-to-all article, which provides interesting insights into applied anthropology. The trio share that they “offer an archaeological analysis of...
How do Virtual Reality Experiences compare to those IRL?
Jin and teammates report that they “investigated how participant perceptions of a single interior environment varied among a real-world space (R) and two surrogate VR spaces (one made with 360° spherical photography and one...
Ask for help in person…
Roghanizad and Bohns report that “Research has found that people are much more likely to agree to help requests made in-person than those made via text-based media, but that help-seekers underestimate the relative advantage...
If You’re in New York City . . .
A current exhibit at the Cooper Hewitt Design Museum focuses on designing to support healing (https://www.cooperhewitt.org/channel/design-and-healing/). The exhibit is described on its website: “This exhibition, curated by MASS Design Group and Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian...
Preferred Surface Colour Combos
Wondering how to paint your home? Don’t mix up the colours too much, group similar hues together. So for instance put hues of blue, or shades of green together. Serra, Gouaich, and Manav explored the...
How Openness among Residents blooms
The personality makeup of citizens seems to evolve with neighbourhoods. Gotz and teammates report that “Rising house prices may change the personality make-up of US cities within a few years, with residents becoming increasingly...
The Value of not being too Unusual
Button reports that “Eye tracking methods and measurements were employed to empirically examine if attention can predict consumer judgements and behavioural outcomes. . . . Findings reveal the importance of the grille as a...
Want to make a good first impression?
We all like to be liked and want to make a good impression. Tooley “found that a space that is aesthetically satisfying and valued, contributes to the likeability of its occupants. . . ....
Sounds and Snacks
Switch on the Classical and Jazz if you’re trying to eat healthy! Motoki and colleagues probe links between sounds heard and food preferences. They found that when “participants rated their preferences for each of...
One Mousse, Two Mousse, Yes Mousse, NO Mousse!
The Space Doctors have written another poem for you in the style of Dr Seuss! We hope you enjoy it! If you would like your very own higher resolution PDF copy to send to your...
Starting Anew – Aargh! to Aahh!
People putting together plans for new homes pass through a set of predictable phases. The first is euphoria: “Wow, I’m going to have the opportunity to do something new, to create the sort of...
TIPI – Designing for your personality
Ever wondered how you align with your friends and family? One of the things that’s clearest about space design is that everyone feels better when their personality aligns with the place that they find...
Did you know that your home design can help you eat healthily?
We are writing this as we enter a new year, but you might also be preparing to design a new home, a new space or getting ready to move completely. Well, we have some...
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