In recent years, we have become increasingly aware of how our surroundings affect our emotions. Despite this growing awareness, many built environments still prioritize functionality over how these spaces make us feel. The architecture industry has traditionally focused on practical and functional aspects, often overlooking people’s feelings and spatial experiences. Our brains, bodies, and minds are what make us truly human, and it is critical to consider the wholeness of the very humans who inhibit the spaces we design. Neuroaesthetics offers a framework to address this gap by placing human emotion and human experience at the center of our design approach.
Last month’s OfficeInsight column Part 1 “Neuroaesthetics and the Built Environment: Design for Emotion” addressed the WHAT and the WHY of neuroaesthetics. In this month’s column, Neuroaesthetics Part 2, we will explore the HOW – discussing practical ways architects, designers, and manufacturers can apply neuroaesthetics principles to create spaces that influence positive emotion, productivity, and overall health and well-being.
The Neuro-Architecture Triad
Our brains constantly react to our environments, even when we are not consciously aware of it. To create spaces that focus on human experience, one of the best ways to approach design is by understanding brain science. Anjan Chatterjee, neuroscientist and author of The Aesthetic Brain, offers a framework for understanding how people psychologically react to built environments. His Neuro-Architecture Triad encourages designers to think beyond the physical aspects of space and focus on how environments can fulfill emotional needs and foster well-being. His model suggests that spatial aesthetic experiences can be organized into three key dimensions: coherence (organization and legibility of a space), fascination (complexity and richness of information in a space), and homeyness (a sense of comfort and belonging of a space).
Designers can adjust these elements depending on the context and purpose of a building. For example, designers might prioritize coherence in the wayfinding of a busy airport, fascination in a hospitality or event space, and homeyness in a healthcare or senior-living facility. By doing so, we can create spaces that not only function well but also resonate on an emotional level.
Neuroaesthetics in Spatial Design
Drawing from insights in neuroscience research, designers can create people-first spaces that prioritize emotions and elevate spatial experiences. Here are several practical ways designers can incorporate proven neuroaesthetics research into the design of built environments.
First, we must understand that every aesthetic experience is deeply personal, shaped by cultural contexts, individual backgrounds, and sensory systems. This explains why neuroaesthetics design often involves sensory-rich environments. Thoughtful use of color, form, texture, materiality, sound, and smell can affect mood, stimulate visual engagement, and foster social interaction. For instance, cool, calming colors like green and blue can reduce stress and put you at ease, while warm colors like yellows and red can energize you.
Interesting textures enhance well-being by activating the brain’s reward system. Materials that engage our sense of touch, such as soft fabrics and natural materials like wood and stone, trigger positive emotional responses. Even something as simple as the feel of a door handle can evoke emotions such as curiosity, or in the case of familiar spaces, a sense of safety.
Acoustic considerations also play a significant role in shaping environments. Sounds can reduce stress or improve concentration, while specific olfactory cues can evoke memories and affect emotional states. Multi-sensory design ensures that spaces offer more than just visual appeal, engaging multiple senses to enhance the overall experience.
Biophilic design, which incorporates natural elements, has measurable psychological benefits. Dr. Sally Augustin’s research highlights that even subtle biophilic cues, such as wood textures or views of greenery, reduce stress and improve cognitive function. This connection to nature, whether through actual greenery or organic shapes and patterns, has a calming effect and promotes a sense of well-being. Natural light also plays a pivotal role in improving mood, reducing eye-strain, and regulating circadian rhythm, boosting well-being and productivity.
Our brains are wired to prefer symmetrical and proportionate designs due to evolutionary patterns observed in nature. Symmetrical design or golden ratio satisfies this human desire for harmony. Spaces with openness and curvature promote feelings of ease and comfort, while sharp angular forms can trigger negative emotional responses.
Spatial configuration is another crucial factor in designing for human experience. Intuitive and well-organized layouts that are easy to navigate reduce cognitive load, allowing us to feel more relaxed and focused. On the other hand, cluttered, disorganized spaces can elevate stress and anxiety. As designers, we should consider the legibility of a space and provide clear visual cues to enhance wayfinding, creating an intuitive flow and circulation that allows people to move through spaces seamlessly.
Personalization and flexibility are other important considerations for human-centered design. Our brains are adaptable, and environments that allow for personalization or change can significantly impact our emotional state. Reconfigurable, modular spaces that adapt to users’ needs and provide opportunities to reflect their identities promote feelings of control, satisfaction, and belonging. This is particularly important in workplaces, where people may require different environments for collaboration or focused work, and where that can bring their whole, authentic selves to work. By offering choice and variety, designers can create environments that are both functional and emotionally enriching.
One of the long-term impacts of neuroaesthetics design is the lasting impression it leaves on users. According to research from the Science in Design Academy, spaces designed with neuroaesthetics principles are not only more engaging but also more memorable, resonating on a deeper emotional and cognitive level. Recently, immersive experiential design is gaining traction for its ability to fully engage users in their environments and create unforgettable experiences. Whether through art installation, lighting, or interactive elements, immersive environments engage multiple senses and offer deeper emotional engagement. This approach is particularly effective in public spaces like museums, exhibitions, or event spaces, where sensory-rich designs captivate users and create memorable experiences.
Neuroaesthetics for Human Experience
Neuroaesthetics principles offer designers a powerful toolkit for creating spaces that go beyond functionality to enhance human experience and foster emotional well-being. Whether it is a workplace designed to improve productivity and innovation, a healthcare space that promotes healing, an educational space that encourages learning, or a public space that fosters engagement and interaction, neuroaesthetics design is all about shaping environments that align with human biology and emotion.
Based on insights from neuroaesthetics research, the design industry can transform how we create environments – from a merely functionality-focused approach to a more human-centered, emotion-focused approach. Designing for human experience and emotion could be one of the most valuable and effective tools in a designer’s toolbox.
The future of design lies in merging scientific research with creative intuition to craft spaces that nourish the human brain, mind, and body. As we continue to explore the power of neuroaesthetics, the built environment has the potential to transform how we interact with the world, creating spaces that are not only functional but also profoundly human-centered. Neuroaesthetics can transform how we think about the built environment—making spaces that truly work for us, not just around us.
Editor’s Note: Yong In, IIDA, IDEC, NCIDQ, RID, LEED AP, WELL AP, Fitwel Ambassador, is a multiple award-winning interior designer and design educator with over 25 years of experience in spatial design and design strategy. She is a Clinical Assistant Professor at Purdue University and a Creative Director/Design Strategist at INxD Studio. As a whole-brain designer, Yong advocates for a research-based, science-backed, experience-driven, and people-first design approach.