Blogs 2008

Research by Chen has shown that viewing (but not owning) visual art can be as beneficial to some people as owning art is to others.

Men have better visual-spatial skills than women.

The sections of the human brain that process visual information respond more strongly to objects of value than other objects.

When the architecture of Western (i.e., in mainland Europe, the Americas, Australia, and New Zealand) condominiums conform to feng shui principles, those condominiums are worth more money than condominiums that are not designed recognizing feng shui’s tenets.

In countries where people regularly bicycle, walk, or take public transportation to work, school, or shopping (termed “active transportation”), citizens are less obese.

People value living near historic homes.

Westerhoff has effectively summarized existing research on how personality changes during the course of our lives.

Adding photos of patients’ faces to medical files increases the empathy that radiologists reviewing those files feel for the patients shown and the care with which the doctors assess patient information.

Kingston Heath, professor of historical preservation at the University of Oregon, discussed situated regionalism at the annual meeting of the International Association for the Study of Traditional Environments.

McDermott, Lehr, and Oxenham investigated the processes people use to recognize music and other sounds.