This is a continuation in our series on Research in an Age of Distrust. See our last blog for an introduction to this series which outlines our mission for transparency and trust-based research.

Unsurprisingly, the cornerstone of our research process is academic and scientific research. We first look to high-quality, peer-reviewed research papers from reliable sources when inspecting a product, method, or modality. For topics like air quality, water quality, and sauna, there is significant literature published and reviewed by world-class institutions that make questions of efficacy an open-and-shut case. Overwhelming evidence in the form of high-quality research sets a terrific precedent, meaning that the following steps merely add greater context and understanding.

Have you felt a decline in your senses of community, openness, and trust over the past decade or two? If so, you are not alone.

As a part of being a trustworthy source of information on innovations, technologies, and methods for making spaces that feel good, we at Frequency felt it necessary to do some digging on the challenges people face when doing this research on their own.

As mentioned in our previous blog on bio-inspired patterns, there are a few key principles of nature-inspired design beyond the patterns of nature covered previously. We refer to these principles as organized complexity, modes of mystery, and prospect and refuge. Here, you’ll find a combination of theoretical and practical insights leading to the creation of spaces that feel good.

When assessing the agreement between the philosophy of nature-inspired design and biological responses to certain aesthetic themes, some principles of person-focused design emerged. These principles include nature-inspired patterns, organized complexity, modes of mystery, and prospect and refuge. By incorporating these principles into design, we can create spaces and aesthetic experiences that are attuned to people, helping them feel comfortable and safe.

Recently, our research team attended the ScienceinDesign symposium, an event focused on uniting the art of interior design and the science of evolutionary biology and neuro-aesthetics, the study of the brain and body’s response to viewing different environments. 

In our continuous efforts to learn about new, innovative ways of making people feel good, we found this group bridging the divide between academic experts and real world practitioners of design and architecture. It’s no surprise that neuroscientists and interior designers don’t seamlessly communicate with one another, so ScienceinDesign’s mission of uniting the two sides is imperative to the broad creation of spaces that feel good.