People, Places, and Things

The psychology of design: How to create an environment in which you will thrive.

by Sally Augustin, Ph.D.

Looking Up

By Sally Augustin, Ph.D. on July 23, 2010 in People, Places, and Things

Most of us spend a lot of time indoors - and that ceiling somewhere above our heads has a lot of influence on us psychologically.

We're more creative in spaces with higher ceilings. All else being equal, people are more innovative in places with 10 foot ceilings than they are when the ceiling hovers 8 feet above the floor. Read More

Obediance

Submitted by Anonymous on July 23, 2010 - 8:29pm.

I wonder to what extent ceiling height may influence the results of replications of milgram's obedience experiments.

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What's the scientific basis

Submitted by Marc on July 24, 2010 - 3:42pm.

What's the scientific basis for this? Like what psychological studies/experiments have confirmed this?

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What's the scientific basis

Submitted by Sally Augustin, Ph.D. on July 25, 2010 - 1:55am.

This column is based on rigorous research by environmental psychologists, neuroscientists, and others working around the world.

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Correlation != causation

Submitted by Anonymous on July 27, 2010 - 12:25pm.

I know this is a blog, not a scientific journal, but like Marc, I find it amusing that Dr. Augustin presents conclusions without citing any information about how she reached them, then deflected Marc's comment by reassuring us all that "rigorous research" backs up her statements (without divulging any information whatsoever about the "rigorous research").

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Sources of Information

Submitted by Sally Augustin on July 27, 2010 - 3:34pm.

The information on which I based the "Looking Up" column has been published in peer reviewed journals such as Environment and Behavior and the Journal of Environmental Psychology and also in reputable sources such as the Handbook of Environmental Psychology. There have been specific studies, for example, on how ceiling height influences feelings of crowding and preferred interpersonal distances in various situations. In the column I integrated information from these sources in the style of other Psychology Today blog entries. Please feel free to contact me directly for any specific references you may require. I can be reached at sallyaugustin@yahoo.com.