Tuning Design to Be “Just Right”

Some places are great for focusing and thinking great thoughts. Others are better for more mundane mental work. Some excel as spaces for active physical work, whether that is doing laundry or exercising.

It turns out that there is a sort of inverse relationship between the mental energy we need to do whatever we’re up to and how energizing the world around us should be—when more brain energy is needed, the space we’re in serves us best when it is a less invigorating place to be. And the reverse is also true: When less mental energy is required, the place around us should be more exciting. For us to accomplish what we plan, we need to balance how hyped-up we are internally with the energy we’re sensing in the world around us.

Intense sensory experiences make us feel more energized. Whether those experiences are saturated colors; louder, faster music; or more intense but pleasant smells, information flowing into our brains through any sensory channel can get our adrenaline going.

One of the aspects of our environment that doesn’t get a lot of attention when we’re thinking about our internal energy level is whether we can see or hear other people. We are a highly social species and pine away when we don’t have access to others when we want, no matter how introverted we are. Also, since we’re so interested in other people, when someone is around, their mere presence gets our blood flowing faster, regardless of whether we ever even speak to them.

When there’s a disconnect and we’re pulling in more energy from the world around us than whatever we’re doing warrants, we’re stressed. This, in turn, harms our mental performance and our ability to get along with others, all while also having a negative effect on our health.

The need to realign a challenging mental task—studying or working on a tough project for work—with the place where we are is why so many people travel to the library during exam week and why many a great novel is written away from the hustle and bustle of the city.

In a recently published article that highlights the findings of a study they did with children, Staats, Collado, and Sorrel not only review why overstimulation can be so bad, but also address the often ignored opposite condition, which is just as upsetting for us: being under-energized. If we’re doing something that doesn’t require much brain power, maybe because we’ve done it loads of times before or maybe for some other reason, we may actively seek out spaces where other people are, etc., to re-establish our needed environmental energy level. Until we do, we feel stressed.

Just like the nursery story, too much or too little is just not right—too much or too little energy in the world around us, in this case. Also, as in the nursery story, we know what is just right and, given a chance, will seek it out.