Windowless dorms? Really?
Did you see all the discussions in the news about Charlie Munger’s windowless dorm? We speak elsewhere on The Space Doctors site about the basic human need for natural light (circadian rhythms, stress, mental refreshment,...
Healthy shapes
We had a reader’s question on this too in November 2021. Trying to get someone to eat healthy? Wang, Zhang, and Jiang determined via multiple experiments that “angular shapes are associated with healthy food,...
Greenspace is better for childhood development
New research from Jarvis and colleagues has been published. They looked at how living near greenspace impacted childhood development. It turns out, that it does 🙂 How did they do it? They report that...
Language Issues
When we speak a language we need to choose words from those available—sure every so often in a Dr. Seuss inspired moment of creativity, for example, we can invent a word or a phrase,...
Designing for differences
We all come in slightly different packages. And our world needs to be designed to support the inevitability of those differences. Some differences between people are more obvious and others subtler. It’s clear when...
Invisible Differences
Some differences between people who will visit a space are invisible until they clearly are not so at all—until eyes start to water and noses get red, for example. You love Fluffy your cat...
Senses
Sometimes people to your home have some sort of “difference” that they’d rather not be publicly discussed (although today there are many fewer topics that fit into this category than in the past) but...
Designing for Who You Are and Who They Probably Are too!
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 themselves. But who are you? Who are the people who...
Fish Tank Heaven
We have mentioned the restorative, de-stressing, etc., power of fish tanks lots in earlier issues, but now, it seems, they’re officially “in” (see reference to the NY Times article below). Fish tanks are finally...
Do you have a thing for Filing Cabinets too?
I have a sentimental attachment to file cabinets. They store memories and rummaging around in them can actually lead to excellent research findings. When you type search terms into a search index of some...
Greens are in for 2022!
Greens are in and I love greens, wherever they are, for reasons I talk about all the time. Ones that are not very saturated but relatively light lead to just the right moods for...
Thinking Creatively
Trying to encourage creative thinking at your home of office. Consider the latest findings from Thoring and colleagues, people are more likely to think creatively in “Space that provides visible sources. . . ....
Pile on the Biophilic Experiences
Aristizabal and colleagues have found that more simultaneous biophilic experiences are better than fewer: when people in their study “were exposed to three biophilic design interventions (visual, auditory, and a combination (multisensory)) and a...
Biophilic Design enhancing performance, and more.
From the previous post, another study by essentially the same group: Aristizabal and colleagues also report that they collected data in spaces “allowed individuals to perform their typical workday task for 10 weeks. ....
Awe is good for you…
Want more creativity in your life? Then add a bit of awe! Zhang and team found that “on days when participants [in their study] felt more daily awe than they typically do, they reported...
Naming something? Add Nature!
If you want to give the impression that something is of value, then add some “nature” to it. Hahnel-Peeters and colleagues report that “In Study 1, we conducted a content analysis of the naming...
The unspoken signals – the Clothes and the Earrings you wear…
It seems we’ve been communicating nonverbally for a very long time. A University of Arizona press release reports that “The necklace, nametag, earrings or uniform you chose to put on this morning might say...
In conversation with The Space Doctors
Dr. Augustin and Dr. Champion had a range of experiences before they joined forces as The Space Doctors—they weren’t born yesterday even if their faces do have a certain youthful glow in every photograph...
Yes! The Places You Should Work!
On Wednesday 13th October 2021, The Space Doctors, who provide Neuroscience based prescriptions for the design of your office and home performed their poem, “Yes! The Places You Should Work!” at Workplace Trends conference at the...
Getting your Home ready for the Fall
Autumn can be the most depressing season. Sure, the leaves all turn pretty colours and the nip in the air means it’s OK to have a nip or two of hot spiced punch (with...
The Scents for Autumn
When we are inside our homes, we can improve our moods and the atmosphere by switching up the scents in our space. Smelling citrus-y smells inside is a plus. The sort of orange smell...
Let there be Light
As we move toward the solstice and beyond, if you live in the Northern Hemisphere, you’ll have fewer hours of day light every day and that means less natural light in your home. This...
The Silence of a House in Autumn
When the weather finally gets so cold and nasty that you have to close your windows, it will become clear to you very quickly that your house is very quiet. With the windows closed,...
Entertaining and Eating Together
One of the fabulous things about autumn is the cosying up and cooking for family and friends (as well as just for ourselves). Creating a space for comfortable eating in your home is important...
Fall and Food
One of the first questions that generally gets asked about design and eating is if colours on walls, plates, etc., can influence how much we eat. The answer: surface colours do indeed influence our...
Refresh your Home during the Fall season
Design can encourage us to be more active, even to workout. Design can help you transition from making excuses for avoiding working out to exercising with vigor and enthusiasm (at least some enthusiasm). As...
Temperature Wars
This is the time of year when there are often quite lively, shall we say, debates over where to set the thermostat in your home or office. Please consider this article a public service,...
Hygge
Hygge actually accomplishes what it claims—it relaxes us in a powerful, profound way. This will surprise no one who’s read articles we’ve written in the past that have reported that: Being in warm, dim...
Beware of Grumpy Design!
Your mood has an effect on your impressions of the world around you, and your drive to re-design them. When we’re in a good mood, because we just got a raise or were given...
Airports are Going Biophilic!
A recent article in the New York Times (“The Trouble With Airports, and How to Fix Them,”) should brighten the day of anyone who has ever, or may ever need to spend time in airports....
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