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Sharfenberger and associates evaluated the psychological implications of nearby material objects. They determined that “being physically close to objects helps consumers to feel psychologically close to the more abstract meaning of these objects. Four experimental studies . . . indicate that being proximal to an object reduces the psychological distance to the object's meaning and enhances the benefits that consumers associate with the object. . . . material objects may . . . act as triggers for future consumption episodes. For example, wearing a festival entrance bracelet may not only allow consumers to connect to a self-defining meaning, but also fuel the desire to re-experience that meaning by visiting the festival again. . . . experiences such as vacations or music festivals may constitute important self-relevant meanings, they are also ephemeral. Material objects that can be held or carried (e.g., souvenirs, shirts, and bracelets) allow consumers to hold onto these meanings and, in a figurative sense, carry them along with them.”
Philipp Scharfenberger, Daniel Wentzel, Luk Warlop, and Verena Riegler. 2023. “The Proximal Self: Why Material Objects Are Particularly Relevant for Consumers’ Self-Definition.” Psychology and Marketing, https://doi.org/10.1002/mar.21804
Living near greenspace makes it less likely that people will experience postpartum depression (PPD). Sun and colleagues found that “A reduced risk for PPD was associated with total green space exposure based on street-view measure [500 m buffer. . .], but not NDVI [normalized difference vegetation index], land-cover greenness, or proximity to a park. Compared to other types of green space, tree coverage showed stronger protective effects. . . . Street view-based green space and tree coverage were associated with a decreased risk of PPD. The observed association was primarily due to increased tree coverage, rather than low-lying vegetation or grass.”
Yi Sun, John Molitor, Tarik Benmarhnia, Chantal Avila, Vicki Chiu, Jeff Slezak, David Sacks, JiupChiuan Chen, Darios Getahun, and Jun Wu. “Association Between Urban Green Space and Postpartum Depression, and the Role of Physical Activity: A Retrospective Cohort Study in Southern California.” The Lancet Regional Health-Americas, in press, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lana.2023.100462
Prade and Saraglou’s work makes it clearer how awe influences how we think and behave. Awe can be induced by design in a variety of ways, for example, via exquisite workmanship. The Prade and Saraglou team report that “Given that awe experiences promote collective identity and decrease self-importance, we reasoned that they should lead individuals to be more prone to cherish social conformity value and to adopt conformity behaviors. In two online experiments . . . compared to neutral and amusement emotional states, awe was found to drive individuals to value the respect of social norms in a greater extent (Experiment 1), and to lead individuals to conform to the majority opinion on an evaluative judgment task (Experiment 2).”
Claire Prade and Vassilis Saraglou. “Awe and Social Conformity: Awe Promotes the Endorsement of Social Norms and Conformity to the Majority Opinion.” Emotion, in press, DOI: 10.1037/emo0001225
Carbon probed people’s experience of art. He reports that “When we attend sculptures in museums, they might fascinate us due to the mastery of the material, the inherent dynamics of body language or due to contrapposto or the sheer size of some of these statues such as Michelangelo's David. What is less convincing, however, is the life-alikeness of the face. Actually, most visitors experience dead faces, dead eyes, and static expressions. By merely adding paraphernalia to a face (e.g., a facemask or sunglasses), such unalive sculptures gain vividness and liveliness. This striking effect is demonstrated by applying a facemask and sunglasses to a sculpture on public display in Bamberg. . . . This simple method might help connect people with sculptures or artworks, in general, to lower the barrier between the beholder and artwork and increase their interaction.”
Claus-Christian Carbon. 2023. “Connecting the Beholder with the Artwork: Thoughts on Gaining Liveliness by the Usage of Paraphernalia.” I-Perception, vol. 14, no. 2, pp. 1-5, https://doi.org/10.1177/20416695231162010
Recently completed research indicates that experiencing higher levels of light at night may not be healthy for pregnant people. Investigators report in a study published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology Maternal Fetal Medicine that “Pregnant adults who had greater light exposure three hours prior to sleep had a higher risk of developing gestational diabetes than those who had less exposure during this period. . . . Gestational diabetes is a type of diabetes that occurs during pregnancy. It can cause harm to both mother and baby. Studies show that the condition is on the rise nationwide. Recent studies show that greater exposure to light at night may cause impaired glucose regulation in non-pregnant adults. . . . Common sources of light at night include televisions, laptops, tablets, and cell phones.”
“Greater Light Exposure Prior to Sleep May Raise Risk of Gestational Diabetes.” 2023. Press release, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/news/2023/greater-light-exposure-prior-sleep-may-raise-risk-gestational-diabetes
Berto, Barbiero, and Salingaros studied human responses to biophilic building façades. They report that “Built environments that integrate representations of the natural world into façades and interiors benefit occupant psycho-physiological well-being and behavior. However, the biophilic quality of buildings does not depend exclusively on ‘green’, but also upon ‘organized complexity’ in theirstructure. . . . Eight façades varying in their degree of biophilic design (High, Medium, Low, No biophilic qualities) were assessed. . . . Higher perceived restorativeness and preference match a higher degree of biophilic design, which corresponds to a building where vegetation is integrated in an organic structure.” Images of the façades studied are available here: https://www.ojs.unito.it/index.php/visions/article/view/7054/6006
Rita Berto, Giuseppe Barbiero, and Nikos Salingaros. 2022. “Biophilic Design of Building Façades from an Evolutionary Psychology Framework: Visual Attention Software Compared to Perceived Restorativeness.” Visions for Sustainability, vol. 18, pp. 1-34, http://dx.doi.org/10.13135/2384-8677/7054
Via a literature review McCormack, Paterson, Frehlich, and Lorenzetti add to the body of knowledge linking design to physical health. They determined that “The built environment (BE) may enhance or reduce the effectiveness of PA [physical activity] interventions, especially interventions that encourage PA in neighbourhood settings.” For example, “Increased distance to private gyms was associated with increases in self-reported total PA, while the density of private gyms in the neighbourhood was negatively associated with pedometer-determined steps among adults exposed to a PA intervention involving individual and group counselling. . . . Our review provides novel, but preliminary, evidence suggesting the effectiveness of interventions on PA could be conditional on the neighbourhood BE and that the in some cases supportive neighbourhood BE can increase and even decrease intervention effectiveness.”
Gavin McCormack, Michelle Paterson, Levi Frehlich, and Diane Lorenzetti. 2022. “The Association Between the Built Environment and Intervention-Facilitated Physical Activity: A Narrative Systematic Review.” International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, vol. 19, no. 86, https://doi.org/10.1186/s12966-022-01326-9
Frigione and colleagues probed human responses to natural environments experienced virtually. They report that their “study investigates the effects of natural and indoor virtual environments (VREs) on psychophysiological and cognitive responses. . . . participants were exposed to two VREs (i.e., a forest and a living room) . . . through a head-mounted display (Oculus Rift). . . . Participants reported a higher perceived sense of relaxation in the virtual forest. . . . The results suggest that a natural virtual environment can make people feel more relaxed and physiologically engaged than an indoor scenario.”
Ivana Frigione, Gemma Massetti, Matteo Girondini, Roberta Etzi, Giulia Scurati, Francesco Ferrise, Alice Chirico, Andrea Gagioli, and Alberto Gallace. 2022. “An Exploratory Study of the Effect of Virtual Environments on Cognitive Performances and Psychophysiological Responses.” Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, vol. 25, no. 10, https://doi.org/10.1089/cyber.2021.0162
Natapov and colleagues studied how design can support emergency evacuations. They report that “Effective indoor wayfinding in the event of an emergency is key to guaranteeing safe and timely evacuation. . . . Our findings show that wall transparency only impacts wayfinding when combined with visibility at route starting points, and that staircases and ramps are the most significant architectural landmarks in emergency wayfinding. . . . in cases of more complex evacuation scenarios with low visibility conditions, wayfinding [requires] a greater number of architectural features.”
Asya Natapov, Avi Parush, Leslie Laufer, and Dafna Fisher-Gerwirtzman. 2022. “Architectural Features and Indoor Evacuation Wayfinding: The Starting Point Matters.” Safety Science, vol. 145, no. 105483, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssci.2021.105483