Leveraging Science for Design: How the Brain Perceives the Built Environment

Can the built environment be optimized for the human experience?

The latest applications of environmental psychology and neuroscience aim to answer that question by understanding the interaction between the brain and our surroundings (Ceylan et al., 2025).

Neuroaesthetics studies the neural underpinnings of how the brain experiences beauty and aesthetic stimuli. This exciting subset of neuroscience presents real-world implications for visual art, consumer behavior, interior design, art therapy, and more (Chatterjee and Vartanian, 2014). Similarly, neuroarchitecture examines the interaction between the brain and the built environment to optimize architectural features such as spatial arrangement, lighting, colors, and materials (Bulaj et al., 2025).

Because we spend nearly 90% of our time indoors, it’s essential to understand how interior environments impact our well-being and overall experience (Ceylan et al., 2025).

Quantifying the Aesthetic Experience

Creative fields like visual art and interior design have long been considered subjective and difficult to quantify. Recent research in neuroaesthetics challenges that assumption.

A 2024 study helped establish how to measure brain activity while viewing art and what those signals actually reveal. Often cited as the first of its kind, the Mauritshuis study combined electroencephalography (EEG), functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), and eye-tracking tools to capture both neural and emotional responses to art in a museum setting (Munnik et al., 2024). Using Girl with a Pearl Earring as its subject, the study found that viewing the original artwork in person elicited an emotional response up to 10 times stronger than viewing a reproduction (Munnik et al., 2024).

The findings also identified:

What qualities of art retain viewers’ attention the most
Where the eye is drawn to
What emotions are elicited
What areas of the brain are stimulated

As a whole, this research confirms that aesthetic experience is not purely subjective but instead is measurable, consistent, and neurologically grounded.

How Art and Design Impact Emotion and Behavior

Social psychologist Kurt Lewin theorized that behavior is shaped by both the individual and their environment (Attaianese et al., 2025). This is especially true in architectural contexts, where design choices directly influence behavior and well-being (Lavdas, 2026). Engaging with built environments activates brain regions associated with spatial processing, emotion, reward, memory, and physiological regulation (Lavdas, 2026).

Research in neuroarchitecture links intentional design to:

Greater personal comfort
Increased fascination and coherence
Improved mood
Reduced stress
Increased cognitive functioning
Increased positive social interactions (Bulaj et al., 2025)

Artwork also plays a distinct role: the emotional response to art varies with both visual characteristics and viewer demographics. Using EEG data alongside the Pleasure-Arousal-Dominance (PAD) scale, researchers measured how people respond to artwork across different interior contexts (Huang et al., 2026).

These findings indicate that responses to art are not universal. Viewer preferences and emotional reactions vary across age and gender, reinforcing the need for intentional, audience-specific curation (Huang et al., 2026). Art and the Brain

The Effect of Placement, Scale, and Materiality

Design choices, such as spatial proportions, have a real, measurable effect on people in a space. Rooms with more balanced depth-to-width ratios tend to promote relaxation, while narrow spaces are more likely to create discomfort (Li et al., 2025). Window placement also impacts cognitive performance, influencing how people focus and process information in work and learning environments (Li et al., 2025).

Additionally, color can facilitate mood and produce measurable physiological responses. Red has been linked to states of excitement, blue to drowsiness, and grey to lower arousal and reduced environmental engagement (Li et al., 2025).

Materiality also plays a role in cognitive and emotional outcomes: A 2025 study examining different surface textures in university classrooms and office environments found significant variance in how materials affect cognitive functioning:

Natural wood best supports cognitive performance and emotional well-being
Treated wood produces a similar, positive effect
Concrete and metal negatively impact cognitive performance and increase cognitive load

These findings align with a broader body of research on biophilic design: natural elements reduce cognitive fatigue and help restore attention (Ceylan et al., 2025). At TurningArt, we have both researched and applied these principles in real-world settings. Our blog, How to Use Natural Elements to Create a Productive Office Space, explains how biophilic design promotes productivity and employee well-being. Our client case study, The Intersection at Art and Biophilic Design, also exemplifies how we implement these ideas in real workplace designs.

Implications for Architecture and Design

Collectively, this research has clear, practical applications for human-centered design. For architecture and design professionals, this translates into evidence-based design choices. Demographic information can partially inform curation decisions by matching artistic preferences to the intended audience in the space. Gathering detailed data about the people who use the building should be a priority to ensure the space is intentionally designed for wellbeing.

Placement, scale, and material choices can all be grounded in research rather than intuition alone. In corporate and healthcare settings in particular, this approach has measurable ROI: environments designed with well-being in mind support better outcomes, lower stress, and stronger engagement.

In practice, this might look like aligning artwork with employee demographics in an office setting, or prioritizing natural materials and calming visuals in healthcare environments to support recovery and cognitive clarity (Ceylan et al., 2025). Ultimately, the goal is to design environments that are not only visually compelling but intentionally optimized for the people who use them. Art and Design

How TurningArt Can Help

TurningArt curates artwork that reflects an organization’s mission, core values, and desired outcomes, guided by a deep understanding of how art influences behavior and mood. In healthcare environments, this means tailoring pieces to the function of each space, like distinguishing between a waiting room and a rehabilitation area. In office settings, it involves considering how color, scale, and placement interact with spatial proportions and the impact those choices have on cognitive functioning. Selecting works that support the intended activities in the space is crucial as well, for example, differentiating between private offices and more collaborative, social spaces.

At TurningArt, we bring this level of intentionality to each art program. Partnering with architecture and design firms, our art advisors curate customized programs that enhance the existing environment and embrace human-centered design. Neuroaesthetics