Latest Blog Posts

Harati and Talheim link long term orientation in national cultures to water scarcity in a region; LTO is relevant to design generally as it can be tied to an interest in material life and project ROI, for example. Researchers found “Across 82 countries, long-run water scarcity predicted long-term orientation. . . . cultures in water-scarce environments value thinking for the long term more and indulgence less. Hofstede (2001) defines long-term orientation as ‘the fostering of virtues oriented towards future rewards, in particular, perseverance and thrift’ (p. 359). . . . Most people who live in dry areas such as Phoenix, Arizona, and Dubai, United Arab Emirates, can get water from the sink by turning a knob. It might seem irrational that historical water scarcity should influence people’s decisions to apply to an established company or a risky start-up. Yet recent research in socioecological psychology has uncovered enduring cultural differences linked to the environments of our ancestors—from climatic variability to plow use to rice and wheat.”

Hamidreza Harati and Thomas Talheim.  2023. “Cultures in Water-Scarce Environments Are More Long-Term Oriented.”  Psychological Science, vol. 34, no. 7, https://doi.org/10.1177/09567976231172500

Creating walkable spaces can be as good for our physical health as it is for our mental health.  Koohsari, Nagai, Oka, Nakaya, Yasunaga, and McCormack report that “neighborhoods with more active living options and higher population density were associated with fewer risk factors for metabolic syndrome. . . . Cardiovascular diseases continue to be the leading causes of death worldwide. Metabolic syndrome, a cluster of risk factors including hypertension and obesity, significantly increases the likelihood of cardiovascular diseases. . . . neighborhoods with a higher number of 'points of interest'—which refers to destinations such as schools, parks, and shops—and a friendlier environment for active living were associated with fewer risk factors for metabolic syndrome. Essentially, residing in a neighborhood that offers more destinations, walkability, and opportunities for physical activity was linked to improved metabolic health. Interestingly, the researchers also found fewer health-related risk factors in areas with a higher number of homes. This can be attributed to increased access to amenities, facilitating social interaction, and reducing reliance on cars.”

“Study Reveals Link Between Neighborhood Environments and Likelihood of Metabolic Syndrome.”  2023. Press release, Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, https://www.jaist.ac.jp/english/whatsnew/press/2023/07/28-1.html

Research by Andersen, Byrne, and Wang confirms that what we see influences what we eat.  The investigators report that in 3 online studies they “manipulated food colour and flavour variety and reproducibly . . . 30 repetitions satiated. . . . Neither colour nor flavour variety reliably moderated any of the responses. Therefore, the results suggest that a more pronounced variety may be required to alter imagery-induced satiation.”  Seeing the same food image more than once (specifically more than 30 times) can make us feel full; seeing the image produces much the same effect in our heads as having tasted the sort of food pictured.

T. Andersen, D. Byrne, and Q. Wang.  2023. “Imagined Eating – An Investigation of Priming and Sensory-Specific Satiety.”  Appetite, vol. 182, 106421, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2022.106421.

It won’t surprise Research Design Connections readers to learn that design influences people’s experiences drinking wine at wineries.  Professor Joy (I am not making this up!) and team from the University of British Columbia report that “researchers detailed a number of items including the material features of the winery and the sensorial theme, such as music and lighting. They took note of everything including the landscape, architecture, views from the windows, layout of the store and the physical space of the tastings. Even the social interaction between staff and customers was considered. Each of these elements are subjectively perceived and work together in the cocreation of ‘affective atmospheres’ that are central to the success of a winery,’ [Joy] explains. . . . ‘Not only is the experience influenced by the aesthetics of the winery, the service received and the wine itself, but also by differences between novices, experts and enthusiasts’ [quote attributed to Joy]. . . [Joy] suggests the findings highlight the importance of a holistic approach to achieving consistency across material features, sensorial modalities and social interactions of a winery.”  This study on wineries is published in the Journal of Retailing.

“Winery Experiences Affected By More Than What Is in Your Glass.”  2023. Press release, The University of British Columbia, https://news.ok.ubc.ca/2023/07/19/winery-experiences-affected-by-more-than-what-is-in-your-glass/

Eum, Dolbier, and Rangel’s work indicates the important of actively designing what people see through their peripheral vision. The researchers “studied the role of peripheral visual information on the choice process and on attentional choice biases. . . . participants. . . made binary choices between food items that were displayed in marked screen ‘shelves’ in two conditions: (a) where both items were displayed, and (b) where items were displayed only when participants fixated within their shelves. We found that removing the nonfixated option approximately doubled the size of the attentional biases. The results show that peripheral visual information is crucial in facilitating good decisions and suggest that individuals might be influenceable by settings in which only one item is shown at a time, such as e-commerce.”

Brenden Eum, Stephanie Dolbier, and Antonio Rangel. “Peripheral Visual Information Halves Attentional Choice Biases.”  Psychological Science, in press, https://doi.org/10.1177/09567976231184878

Kousi, Halkias, and Kokkinaki evaluated how mood evoked in buying situations influences purchase decisions made.  They share “The results of a qualitative study and four experiments . . . . marketers of material goods, in particular, can considerably increase customer value by using design components, product features, and brand imagery that leverage hedonic [pleasure-related] qualities. . . . Marketers can potentially close the happiness gap by augmenting products through features that aim to thrill and delight. . . . For example, employing unique or unconventional designs, or adding vibrant colors, stickers, personalized badges and quote prints on a surgical face mask or a toolbox may introduce playfulness and increase the enjoyment of the product. Makers of children's products excel at adding hedonic sensory elements to, otherwise functional, products. . . . Alessi, the Italian houseware brand, uses this principle, blending playful aesthetics with function, making utilitarian kitchen tools like saltshakers and wine openers fun, playful, and engaging.”

Sofia Kousi, Georgios Halkias, and Flora Kokkinaki.  2023. “Hedonic Objects and Utilitarian Experiences:  The Overriding Influence of Hedonism in Driving Consumer Happiness.” Psychology and Marketing, vol. 40, no. 8, pp. 1634-1645, https://doi.org/10.1002/mar.21829

Cadogan, Lionetti, Murphy, and Setti investigated the consequences of individuals with sensory processing sensitivity (SPS) viewing nature videos.  They report that SPS “is a risk factor for mental ill-health and ruminative thoughts. . . . we evaluated the impact of virtual nature exposure on affect [mood], rumination, and executive functions in individuals with varying levels of SPS. . . . participants . . . . completed measures . . .  before and after watching a nature or urban video. . . . The videos used in the study consisted of 6-min clips of nature scenes and urban scenes. The nature scenes included the beach, rivers, flowers, forestry, and foliage. The urban scenes included traffic, trains, buses, and industrial estates. Both videos were shot in the Munster region in Ireland. . . . There were significant reductions in rumination and negative affect in participants following a 6-min virtual nature intervention. . . . Exposure to a virtual urban intervention resulted in decreased rumination, but also decreased positive affect.”

Eimer Cadogan, Francesca Lionetti, Mike Murphy, and Annalisa Setti.  “Watching a Video of Nature Reduces Negative Affect and Rumination, While Positive Affect is Determined by the Level of Sensory Processing Sensitivity.” Journal of Environmental Psychology, in press, 102031, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2023.102031

Research completed by Bardhan and teammates confirms the value of spending time in nature over longer periods; they collected data from their study participants for 8 weeks.  The investigators report that they “conducted one of the first longer-term investigations of daily nature exposure and mood with a mobile app as part of the NatureDose™ Student Study (NDSS). The NatureDose™ app uses GPS and a phone's sensors to evaluate whether a person is inside or outside and checks levels of nature surrounding the person with the NatureScore™ measure. This measure is based on more than 30 remotely sensed datasets, geo-located health records, and machine learning models. . . . we observed a positive association between nature exposure and positive mood . . .  The study also reinforces previous findings on the associations between nature exposure and positive mood states. Greening university campuses and surrounding locations where college students live and spend leisure time could support college students' mental health.”

Mondira Bardhan, Kuiran Zhang, Matthew Browning, Jiaying Dong, Tong Liu, Christopher Bailey, Olivia McAnirlin, Jared Hanley, Christopher Minson, Robert Mutel, Shyam Ranganathan, and Aaron Reuben.  2023.  “Time in Nature Is Associated with Higher Levels of Positive Mood:  Evidence from the 2023 NatureDose ™ Student Survey.”  Journal of Environmental Psychology, vol. 90, 102083, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2023.102083

Pazhoohi, Gojamgunde, and Kingstone probed humans’ preferred interaction distances with both people and robots.  They found that people would rather be near other people than near robots and “While higher comfort was reported for female vs male humans, there was no significant difference between comfort ratings for female vs male robots. . . . humans were rated more attractive than humanoid robots, and higher on agency (the ability to do) and experience (the ability to feel). . . .  Comfort distance [is] the physical distance that people adopt in order to feel safe and relaxed during social interactions [,it] is an important factor in human-robot interactions. . . . comfort ratings for both male and female humans reach a plateau earlier (around 240 cm and 230 cm away) than for male and female robots (around 280 cm and 300 cm). . . . it seems the optimum comfort distance are different for robots compared to humans.”

Farid Pazhoohi, Srishti Gojamgunde, and Alan Kingstone.  “Give Me Space: Sex, Attractiveness, and Mind Perception as Potential Contributors to Different Comfort Distances for Humans and Robots.”  Journal of Environmental Psychology, in press, 102088, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2023.102088

Zoghaib and associates have looked into branding with music and appropriately translated to other sensory systems their findings seem more generally applicable.  The Zoghaib-lead team determined that “using music pieces with an irregular contour or unstable tonality in communications can make brands appear more innovative. . . . branding with music that has an irregular contour or unstable tonality can either positively or negatively impact brand evaluations. This is contingent on whether brand communication includes information about brand innovativeness or brand liking.”

Alice Zoghaib, Jonathan Luffarelli, and Stephanie Feiereisen.  “Branding With Music:  How Can Music Contour and Tonality Enhance Perceived Brand Innovativeness and Brand Evaluations?” Psychology and Marketing, in press, https://doi.org/10.1002/mar.21875