Concurrents – Environmental Psychology: Silent Messages Still Prevail

by Sally Augustin, Ph.D. | March 25th, 2019

The silent messages sent by things in the physical world have an important influence on how people experience a space –this place-person dialogue is discussed regularly in this column. Nonverbal communication can indicate respect for a group or idea, or willingness to accept new approaches or a slant toward traditional ones, for instance, or other significant orientations to life and how it should be lived –and users think and behave based, at least in part, on insights they draw from spaces. A study recently completed by Rucker and Cannon indicates just how important nonverbal communication can be. The Rucker/Cannon team looked at the implications of conspicuously consuming luxury goods, through clothing worn, for example. Their findings are undoubtedly relevant in many contexts. According to a press release issued by Kellogg Graduate School of Management, “Over several decades, researchers have observed a Range Rover-sized pile of benefits from conspicuously consuming luxury …