Workplace Views
We all know what we see affects our mindset, but which views are best and why? Elzeyadi’s research focused on preferred workplace views but his findings can be applied in other contexts. He reports...
Making BIG Spaces
If you want people to feel welcome and comfortable, especially in commercial environments, you would do well to pick up tips from Noble and Devlin’s recent study. The bigger the better it seems, makes...
Enjoying Mingling
Article after article is trumpeting how much people are enjoying interacting with others again or how much they long to do so (see this one, for example: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/17/insider/working-empty-newsroom.html ) Of course we’re glad to...
Living alone together
Recently, there’s been more attention to people, generally those getting a little long in the tooth, who are choosing to have relationships with others but not marry or move in together (see this article,...
How to alter your VR experience
Here’s a question for you! Did you ever visit a virtual reality environment while in different physical spaces and think your virtual experiences were different in each real life place? Research indicates that you’re...
Early experiences affect us more than recent ones
Have you ever gone somewhere where you had a good time a few years back? Or revisited a place which was associated with a bad memory? It turns out that those early memories really...
Live near Greenspace – If you can!
The more greenspace we are surrounded by, the happier we are. Kwon and colleagues report that “By measuring the urban green space score (UGS) from high-resolution satellite imagery of 90 global cities covering 179,168...
Symmetry in Nature
Symmetry matters and can be good, even in natural scenes, but too much can put us off. We’ve previously reported on the implications of viewing symmetrical arrangements of things here. Damiano and colleagues report...
Colours and Taste
Regular readers of The Space Doctors will already be aware of the weird fact that the colours we surround ourselves with or look at while we’re eating affect how much we eat. for instance,...
Finding our way around after GPS!
Have we become so dependent on our SatNav? Researchers have learned that using GPS-type systems affects our fundamental ability to find our way from one place to another. Knowing about these findings may encourage...
Round or Spiky Words…
Do you sometimes find that the names for things just seem wrong? New research by Sidhu and colleagues may make it clearer why that happens. The researchers report that “Sound symbolism refers to associations...
Can a Scent change our Opinion? – “Science News”
If you want to be liked make sure you’re surrounded by lovely sweet smelling roses! That’s what this piece of research seems to reveal! Also the opposite is true, if you are trying to...
Moon Effects – “Science News”
So it seems that science is proving that we are affected by the moon’s cycle! Casiraghi and colleagues used “wrist actimetry to show a clear synchronization of nocturnal sleep timing with the lunar cycle...
Design in Movement – “Science News”
Move more! As a result of this study, why not make sure you put your walking shoes by your main door, so it’s easy to take up those strides and walk for a bit...
It’s Time for Squishy
We love curves and squishy furniture is in right now and there’s a science-based reason it is! You might like to introduce some of these designs into your home right now as we emerge...
Red = Risk, unless you’re in China
Can seeing Red negatively influence Stock Market Liquidity? This is an interesting piece of research. We have written before about how the colour red influences our choices. In this month’s round up of Science News,...
Varying Lighting Levels
Vary your daylight – we’ve found more proof! You’ve heard of circadian rhythms and you are probably also aware how replicating it inside your home and office is a good idea. We write about...
Improving by Removing
Sometimes less is more. Have you ever tried to solve a problem by listing everything, maybe pulling in all the issues. In many situations, we seem to solve problems by adding. But in our...
Blue is Best
We like blue birds, which makes sense because humans definitely have a soft spot in their hearts for blue places and things. In this month’s science round up, there was more evidence that a...
Some Don’t Like it Hot
Temperature affects us all, and also how we perceive and like the space we are in. In our regular notes from science we picked up a recent study to share with you here. This...
Colour Me Moral – “Science News”
Chan and Meng found that “it seems that people have been conditioned to see objects in white color as potentially ‘morally good’ and those in black color as potentially ‘bad.’ In the current inquiry,...
Turn the Left Cheek – “Science News”
Ever wondered which way to face when you’re having your photo taken? Research completed by Park, Spence, Ishii, and Togawa can be useful next time you’re posing for a photo! This team explored “the...
When the Red Light doesn’t Necessary mean Stop – “Science News”
Pontes and Williams’ recent research is useful whenever people are trying to encourage or discourage people from gambling, taking risks. The investigators share that “In general, people make more risk averse choices, gambling less...
Light Your Restaurant with Warm Bulbs – “Science News”
If you’re a regular reader of The Space Doctors, then you’ll know that light makes a difference to how you feel and how you react to a situation. Here we share some research that...
Interesting and Green Views are Best – “Science News”
Recent research looking at which views people prefer has thrown up an interesting result. Batool, Rutherford, and McGraw, when investigating what people prefer to see out of their windows when they’re in urban areas...
Why Certain Shapes Make Us Buy More – “Science News”
Chen and colleagues link particular nonverbal messages to package shapes; it is likely that their findings are useful more generally. The researchers found that “a tall, slender package creates the perception of higher brand...
Why ADHD Children Need Green Space – “Science News”
Research by Thygesen and colleagues indicates that spending a little extra to provide greater access to green spaces for children may be money well spent. The Thygesen-lead team reports that when they reviewed data...
Importance of Greenery during COVID – Biophilic Design does it Again!
In another of our science-based research short reports we bring you this lovely study. Dzhambov and teammates probed links between the presence of indoor and outdoor greenery and the wellbeing of people during the...
Why to Scent Subtly!
Humans “communicate” extensively via scents, according to research recently published by Hofer, Chen, and Schaller; these findings support subtle scentscaping. In another of our “in the news” articles, here is some really interesting information...
Value of Green Spaces
A paper published in the Journal of Happiness Studies confirms the value of regularly spending time outdoors (which indicates how important that we have ready access to outdoor areas near our homes, etc.): “Previous academic studies...
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