Neuroarchitecture: How space shapes your mind
Design spaces that work for you, not against you
🏷️ Categories: Behavior.
You’ve had this feeling hundreds of times.
There are places where you just feel better, without knowing why. You focus more. You sleep better. You feel at ease. And then there are places where you just can’t stand to be.
If you’ve ever felt like a space was embracing you—or, on the contrary, pushing you away—today you'll understand why. We're going to talk about neuroarchitecture: an emerging science that merges design with neuroscience to understand how space affects the mind. You’ll see how space shapes your brain, your attention, your mood—even your health.
Let’s dive in.
1. What is Neuroarchitecture?
Neuroarchitecture is born from a powerful idea: space is not neutral.
Every wall, every ceiling, every material impacts your body and mind—almost always without you even realizing it. Architecture affects your performance, attention span, memory, stress, promotes certain behaviors, and much more. To understand why it affects us so much, you first need to know your mind’s two systems of thinking:
System 1: This is the brain’s fast-operating mode. It’s impulsive, emotional, and intuitive—based on instant, irrational responses.
System 2: This is the slow, analytical way of thinking. It’s how we make conscious, logical decisions, without emotional bias.
And which of the two responds more to space?
System 1.
In other words, we don’t analyze space—we feel it. Architecture activates emotional and physiological responses before we can rationally assess it. And yes, we now know how each design element affects your mind. In 2023, a group of researchers analyzed over 2,500 studies, and this is what they found…
Here are all the essential keys to neuroarchitecture.
2. Design Elements and Their Psychological Effects
2.1. Geometry and Shape
Curved shapes: These are generally preferred, whether in furniture, 3D objects, paintings, or drawings (2D). They generate feelings of safety and increase social interaction. They activate the orbitofrontal cortex, which is associated with aesthetic pleasure. Irregularly shaped windows also attract more visual attention.
Sharp angles: Activate the amygdala, the brain area responsible for alertness, fear, and discomfort (Assem et al., 2023).
Symmetry: Helps visual processing and reduces cognitive stress caused by the environment. It elicits fewer emotional responses and is generally preferred in low-stimulation settings like libraries (Assem et al., 2023).
Asymmetry: Stimulates curiosity and has been linked to increased critical thinking. Ideal for museums or exploration spaces.
2.2. Ceiling Height
High ceilings: Often said to evoke a sense of freedom—and it's true. Experiments show they stimulate creativity, abstract thinking, and enhance spatial orientation (Assem et al., 2023).
Low ceilings: Improve attention and information analysis. They reduce perceived beauty of the environment. If too low, they cause discomfort and hinder decision-making (Assem et al., 2023).
2.3. Space Proportions
Narrow and tall: Promote concentration and spatial memory (Assem et al., 2023). Recommended for tasks that require focal attention.
Wide and low: Create a greater feeling of freedom, even if the actual space is the same as narrow/tall rooms. However, they scatter attention and impair information retention. Larger classrooms lead to poorer attention and memorization (Assem et al., 2023).
2.4. Color and Contrast
White, blue, and green: Act on the parasympathetic system to promote relaxation and memory. Ideal for focus-demanding environments like classrooms. Green is strongly associated with comfort and calm, likely due to its link with nature (Assem et al., 2023).
Bright colors: Increase alertness and problem-solving, especially purple, yellow, and red. However, staying in these spaces for long can cause fatigue.
Color contrast: Helps with spatial orientation, especially when using bright colors. This is key in hospitals and airports—notice how signage always uses this. But it’s not ideal when focal attention is required, as it can be distracting.
2.5. Lighting
Natural light: Lowers cortisol (the stress hormone), improves mood, and even shortens hospital stays, aiding physical recovery (Assem et al., 2023).
Cool artificial light: Useful during the day to stay alert—has a caffeine-like effect. Avoid it at night, as it lowers melatonin production (Brainard et al., 2001), worsening sleep quality. This is the light from many bulbs and screens—another reason to avoid screens at night.
Warm artificial light: Feels cozy and promotes relaxation. It’s less disruptive than cool light at night, but still negatively impacts sleep.
2.6. Materials, Vegetation, and Textures
Indoor plants: Improve attention and reduce mental fatigue. Ideal in spaces that require focus, such as offices. Interestingly, lack of vegetation worsens spatial orientation and increases stress and feelings of confinement.
Wood and natural elements: Provide calm, reduce heart rate and sweating, create a homey feeling, and boost cognitive performance (Assem et al., 2023).
Concrete and metals: May increase alertness but also activate the amygdala, making us feel on edge—probably because we feel disconnected from the environment (Assem et al., 2023). Combine them with textures, natural elements, or plants to reduce their impact.
What you once thought was purely aesthetic is also psychological.
A curve that invites you. A ceiling that frees you. A plant that calms you. Space inspires you, distracts you, motivates you, embraces you. And this isn’t just about big buildings or futuristic projects—this applies to your desk, your bedroom, your living room. Understanding this gives you crucial tools to design your spaces more intentionally.
It’s not just about being beautiful or functional—it’s about being empowering.
✍️ Your turn: How could you reconfigure your desk, room, or workplace to enhance your focus, memory, or overall well-being?
💭 Quote of the day: "You are like the place you’re in. The more a place moves inside you, the more your identity is intertwined with it."
— Frances Mayes, Under the Tuscan Sun
See you in the next letter! 👋
References 📚
Assem, H. M., Khodeir, L. M., & Fathy, F. (2023). Designing for human wellbeing: The integration of neuroarchitecture in design – A systematic review. Ain Shams Engineering Journal, 14(6), 102102. URL
Brainard, G. C., Hanifin, J. P., Greeson, J. M., Byrne, B., Glickman, G., Gerner, E., & Rollag, M. D. (2001). Action Spectrum for Melatonin Regulation in Humans: Evidence for a Novel Circadian Photoreceptor. The Journal Of Neuroscience, 21(16), 6405-6412. URL
You've done it again, Alvaro!!✨🫶🏿