Latest Blog Posts
Asano and colleagues learned that walking in hot outdoor environments can harm subsequent cognitive performance indoors; this finding supports creating more temperature controlled indoor walking areas in office complexes and similar locations. The research team reports that “In the experiments [conducted], a total of 96 participants took a mathematical addition test in an air-conditioned room before and after walking in an actual outdoor environment. Results of the experiments showed that walking outdoors under heat-stressful conditions (UTCI ≧ 44 °C) for 15 min decreased the cognitive performance (percentage of correct answers to numbers of problems solved) by 3.6% compared with that before walking. An analysis focusing on the sleep duration showed a negative relationship between sleep duration and the decrease in cognitive performance. This tendency became particularly clear among the participants whose sleep duration was less than 5 h. The reduction of cognitive performance was more pronounced in male participants than in female participants. Sleep-deprived men who walk in a heat-stressful outdoor environment are more likely to exhibit poor cognitive performance when they return to an air-conditioned room.”
Yuki Asano, Yusuke Nakamura, Asuka Suzuki-Parker, Shohei Aiba, and Hiroyuki Kusaka. 2022. “Effect of Walking in Heat-Stressful Outdoor Environments In an Urban Setting on Cognitive Performance Indoors.” Building and Environment, vol. 213, 108893, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2022.108893
Duran-Barraza and colleagues evaluated how titles influence responses to artistic photography. They report that “Conceptual information is central to the field of artistic photography. . . . we investigated whether artist's conceptual titles affected viewers’ interest in artistic photographs. Experiment 1 showed that adding artist's conceptual titles increased both the rated liking of and interest in the photographs, whereas adding a descriptive title had no effect. For Experiment 2 participants judged the pairing of photographs with artist-generated conceptual titles as more appropriate than plausible or random pairings, supporting the view that artist's conceptual titles are an essential part of the artwork. In Experiment 3, interest was assessed by asking participants to place adjustable-size frames anywhere on the photographs. Participants selected more interest areas on photographs accompanied by conceptual titles than on those unaccompanied by titles. These findings support the hypothesis that conceptual information provided by the artist's titles increases interest and liking in photographs.”
Gabriela Duran-Barraza, Deepti Ghadiyaram, and Mary Peterson. “Effects of Conceptual Titles on the Aesthetic Appreciation of Artistic Photographs.” Empirical Studies of the Arts, in press, https://doi.org/10.1177/02762374221082505
Shen and colleagues studied responses to different sorts of advertisements along with perceived beauty. They report that “Using 68 standardized environmental advertisements as materials, this study examines potential differences between warning-based and vision-based environmental advertisements in the induced environment-related aesthetic perception and experience. The results show a significant difference between warning-based and vision-based advertisements in the experienced beauty . . . with no difference in (global) aesthetic perception. Specifically, the vision-based advertisements have higher ‘good’ and ‘boring’ scores than the warning-based ones, whereas the warning-based advertisements score more highly in ‘interesting,’ ‘awe,’ ‘amazing,’ and ‘inspiring’ measures than their counterparts. These findings suggest that both types of environmental advertisements trigger a similar aesthetic perception.”
Wangbing Shen, Meijiao Wang, Yuan Yuan, Halping Bai, and Meifeng Hua. 2022. “Beauty Is Not In the Eye But In the Inner Heart: Evidence From Environmental Advertising.” Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts, vol. 16, no. 1, pp. 164-175, https://doi.org/10.1037/aca0000361
Satish, Joseph, and Nanavati recap the benefits of natural light. They report that “Exposure to daylight, in particular, plays an outsized role in our overall well-being and mental health. Like almost all animals, humans have a circadian cycle that regulates sleep, metabolism, heart rate, and body temperature over a 24-hour cycle. Daylight is the main environmental stimulus that syncs the body’s internal clock with the external world. . . . Studies have shown that daylight access can reduce stress, lower blood pressure, and even improve a person’s cognitive function.”
Usha Satish, Anjali Joseph, and Kaushal Nanavati. 2022. “Illuminating Results,” Healthcare Design, vol. 22, no. 2, pp. 26-27.
Researchers have identified an increased likelihood of hoarding in people with ADHD; this finding may indicate a greater need for storage options among people with ADHD who are not hoarding. Morein-Zamir and colleagues report that “Whilst formerly associated with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), it is now recognised that individuals with HD [hoarding disorder] often have inattention symptoms reminiscent of Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Here, we investigated HD in adults with ADHD. . . . Clinically significant hoarding symptoms were found in ∼20% versus 2% of ADHD and control groups. . . . Patients with ADHD had a high frequency of hoarding symptoms, which were specifically linked to inattention.”
Sharon Morein-Zamir, Michael Kasese, Samuel Chamberlain, and Estherina Trachtenberg. 2022. “Elevated Levels of Hoarding in ADHD: A Special Link with Inattention.” Journal of Psychiatric Research, vol. 145, pp. 167-174, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychires.2021.12.024
Abrams probed the experiences of people with ADHD working during the pandemic and her findings indicate how workplace design can support people with ADHD generally. Abrams states that “Working from home has also presented challenges for adults with ADHD, including dealing with the loss of boundaries—such as a dedicated workspace or an on-site supervisor—that help them avoid distractions and provide cues about when to stop and start tasks. . . . [mental health care] providers have used a mix of old and new strategies to help people with ADHD function well during the pandemic. . . . For adults working from home, a clear workspace that contains only work-related items helps to limit distractions, Politi [Danielle Politi, PsyD, Multi-Health Systems, Inc.] said. She also recommends scheduling frequent breaks and using the last 15 to 30 minutes of each workday to reset: Clear your inbox and office space and make a plan for the following day. . . . People with ADHD can improve their functioning by seeking out optimal work times and settings.”
Zara Abrams. 2022. “Helping Adults and Children with ADHD in a Pandemic World.” Monitor on Psychology vol. 53, no. 2, pp. 68-74.
Liao and teammates’ work supports previous studies with color-based metaphors. The researchers learned that “Previous studies demonstrated that colors evoke certain affective meanings. . . . Japanese participants were presented with emoticons depicting four basic emotions (Happy, Sad, Angry, Surprised) and a Neutral expression, each rendered in eight colors. . . . The affective [emotional] meaning of Angry and Sad emoticons was found to be stronger when conferred in warm and cool colors, respectively. . . . The findings provide evidence that affective congruency of the emoticon expression and the color it is rendered in facilitates recognition of the depicted emotion, augmenting the conveyed emotional message.”
Songyang Liao, Katsuaki Sakata, and Galina Paramei. “Color Affects Recognition of Emoticon Expressions.” I-Perception, in press, https://doi.org/10.1177/20416695221080778
Chuquichambi and colleagues’ work confirms that humans prefer curved lines to sharp angled ones. The research team reports that “Lines contribute to the visual experience of drawings. People show a higher preference for curved than sharp angled lines. We studied preference for curvature using drawings of commonly-used objects drawn by design students. We also investigated the relationship of that preference with drawing preference. Experiments 1 and 2 revealed preference for the curved drawings in the laboratory and web-based contexts, respectively. Experiment 3 showed that the curved drawings were also preferred to draw than the sharp-angled ones. However, this effect only appeared when the drawings were made by hand, but not when they were made by computer. We found a moderate positive correlation between liking and drawing preference. . . . Sex, art experience and openness to experience did not influence preference for curvature. Altogether, our findings support the curvature effect and the hypothesis that people prefer to draw what they like to see.”
Erick Chuquichambi, Daniela Sarria Guido Corradi, and Enric Munar. “Humans Prefer to See and Imagine Drawing Curved Objects.” Empirical Studies of the Arts, in press, https://doi.org/10.1177/02762374221084212
Howell and Booth link neighborhood walkability and the presence of outdoor amenities to better health and fewer cases of diabetes among residents. The duo report that “researchers and policymakers alike have been searching for effective means to promote healthy lifestyles at a population level. . . . there has been a proliferation of research examining how the ‘built’ environment in which we live influences physical activity levels, by promoting active forms of transportation, such as walking and cycling, over passive ones, such as car use. Shifting the transportation choices of local residents may mean that more members of the population can participate in physical activity during their daily routine without structured exercise programs.” The researchers determined that people living in walkable neighborhoods who had access to parks and other options for outdoor activities were both more active and also less likely to be diabetic or obese.
Nicholas Howell and Gillian Booth. “The Weight of Place: Built Environment Correlates of Obesity and Diabetes.” Endocrine Reviews, in press, https://doi.org/10.1210/endrev/bnac005
Uziel and Tomer Schmidt-Barad investigated how the decisions to be alone and to be with others influence wellbeing and their findings confirm the importance effects of control on wellbeing. The research duo report that “Stable social relationships are conducive to well-being. . . . The present investigation suggests that . . . social interactions increase ESWB [experiential subjective well-being] only if taken place by one's choice. Moreover, it is argued that choice matters more in a social context than in an alone context because experiences with others are amplified. These ideas were tested and supported in two studies: An experiment that manipulated social context and choice status, and a 10-day experience-sampling study, which explored these variables in real-life settings. Results showed that being with others by one’s choice had the strongest positive association with ESWB, sense of meaning, and control, whereas being with others not by one’s choice—the strongest negative association with ESWB.”
Liad Uziel and Tomer Schmidt-Barad. 2022. “Choice Matters More with Others: Choosing to Be With Other People is More Consequential to Well-Being Than Choosing to Be Alone.” Journal of Happiness Studies, https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10902-022-00506-5
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