Although society often seems to prioritize change, sometimes something more familiar is best. Generally, research has shown that we’re more up for the unfamiliar when we’re in a more positive mood than when we’re in a more negative one.
A recent study by Ortlieb and Carbon (2019) details when we may feel better about moving from the familiar and when we won’t: “Whenever we feel safe and self-sufficient…our interest in unfamiliar [options] [increases] as well as in innovative, cognitively challenging aesthetic stimuli (art). By contrast, when we feel vulnerable and dependent, a longing for safety and relatedness (nostalgia) attracts us not only to familiar and trustworthy individuals but also to conventional aesthetic stimuli charged with positive emotions…any episode in life during which needs for security and attachment are significantly augmented (e.g., couples expecting a baby) should be associated with a greater susceptibility for familiar, easy-to-process-stimuli, whereas life events that boost people’s sense of achievement (e.g., passing one’s final exams) and autonomy (e.g., leaving the parental home) should coincide with a state of increased appetence for novelty also in the aesthetic domain.”
The examples chosen by Ortlieb and Carbon are not the ones that workplace designers and managers are apt to consider, but the point made is clear – when we feel better about our ability to deal with challenges ahead, we feel better about new and different experiences. The work by Ortlieb and Carbon indicates that it is likely best to use more familiar sorts of design options/art/etc. in spaces such as human resource suites, for example. When there is a wide range of different onsite facilities, there is a greater likelihood that differentiating the atmosphere created using Ortlieb and Carbon’s findings will be relevant.
The research conducted by Ortlieb and Carbon is consistent with multiple studies indicating that people regularly favor the familiar and gradual, as opposed to radical changes from it. Scientists have found, for example, that, when asked, people report that they prefer the look of rooms that seem familiar to them, and these rooms are linked to more reported positive emotions than spaces that use design elements/follow design rules that are new to those whose opinions are being gathered. More familiar spaces are also rated as more beautiful than less familiar ones. We even return to a familiar, usual seat in a sea of seats, say in an auditorium or large classroom-type space, over time; those used-before seats are spaces where we feel psychologically comfortable. Some research indicates that the familiar is preferred because it sends us the silent message of “safety.”
“Familiar” is, of course, defined by the experiences of a particular user group – and it’s likely that the people who design and manage workplaces have had different design-related life experiences than the people who use workplaces. “Familiarity” can’t be defined without user group research.
Familiar design options are not often the most exciting ones, but they can be the alternatives that have the most positive effects on user wellbeing.
Stefan Ortlieb and Claus-Christian Carbon. 2019. “A Functional Model of Kitsch and Art: Linking Aesthetic Appreciation to the Dynamics of Social Motivation.” Frontiers in Psychology, https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.02437
Sally Augustin, PhD, is the editor of Research Design Connections (www.researchdesignconnections.com). Research Design Connections reports on research conducted by social and physical scientists that designers can apply in practice. Insights derived from recent studies are integrated with classic, still relevant findings in concise, powerful articles. Topics covered range from the cognitive, emotional, and physiological implications of sensory and other physical experiences to the alignment of culture, personality, and design, among others. Information, in everyday language, is shared in a monthly subscription newsletter, an archive of thousands of published articles, and a free daily blog. Readers learn about the latest research findings immediately, before they’re available elsewhere. Sally, who is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association, is also the author of Place Advantage: Applied Psychology for Interior Architecture (Wiley, 2009) and, with Cindy Coleman, The Designer’s Guide to Doing Research: Applying Knowledge to Inform Design (Wiley, 2012). She is a principal at Design With Science (www.designwithscience.com) and can be reached at sallyaugustin@designwithscience.com.