OUTDOOR LIVING
By Daniel Keeley
Designing for Health
Last year at the annual conference of Accessories Resource Team, a design and furnishings industry-focused advocacy and resource group, I was blown away by the closing keynote presentation. The topic? Neuroaesthetics. I had never heard the word before, but by the end of the presentation, I was a complete devotee. Neuroaesthetics is the scientific study of how beauty, nature and fine design affect our brains and bodies. And not only does it quantify and validate what designers have intuited for centuries, it stands poised to revolutionize how we live, work and care for our well-being.
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​The presenter was Mike Peterson, founder of Science in Design, an organization dedicated to the education, certification and promotion of design professionals in the field of neuroaesthetics. Mike was joined by Ginger Curtis, HGTV Designer of the Year winner and neuroaesthetics expert, and together, they enlightened the audience on relatively recent studies that prove scientifically how beauty and good design are not a luxury but a necessity. Moreover, our assessment of our surroundings is subconscious and encoded into our DNA, the result of evolution.
Researchers can now observe brain activity, track hormone releases, measure cardiovascular changes, and document stress reduction and what happens to these health markers when triggered by good (or bad) design. As architect Tye Farrow puts it, “There is no such thing as a neutral space. What we build…either causes or undermines health.”
​This research highlights the undeniable importance of how we design our homes, gardens and workplaces. Just look at a few of the documented benefits:
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15-20% reduction in stress hormones in thoughtfully designed spaces
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Decreased heart rate and blood pressure in nature-inspired environments
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Elevated serotonin levels in response to aesthetic beauty
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Improved cognitive performance in spaces with daylight and natural patterns
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Accelerated patient recovery in hospitals applying neuroaesthetic principles
Neuroaesthetics encompasses five primary principles (color, light, texture, acoustics and spatial configuration) and documents the human response to these environmental influences. It also includes the study of biophilic design, which is the deliberate attempt to design to the inherent human affinity for nature in the built environment. These fields show us why our outdoor spaces (indeed, all spaces) are so important; they are, in a sense, a return to our roots — our inherent connection to nature and our existence as part of nature.