Restorative design can give scientific support to the psychology of housing
Article byRita Berto, Psicologa ambientale, dottore di ricerca in Percezione e Psicofisica.
The so-called “psychology of housing” is a recent concern and what has been written consists of unverified inferences from a few “extreme” conditions. Our knowledge of the subject is essentially empirical (it derives mainly from people’s complaints about living arrangements, desire for personal privacy, quiet, aesthetic satisfaction, efficiency, etc.) rather than scientific. Beyond the objective limitations of conducting research inside homes, the assumption that we can isolate the physical factors of housing which affect psychological, emotional and behavioral responses implies that these factors can be separated from the habits of the occupants.
Despite this, it can be assumed that “healthful living” is a desirable goal for everyone, and it may be achieved by physical conditions in the dwelling which promotes what science calls “psychophysiological restoration”. Architects, interior designers, realtors, furniture and fabric sellers and all those who gravitate around the “home” world can act as agents in promoting restorative design to prevent psychophysiological stress and mental fatigue.
As Environmental Psychology teaches, physical conditions in the dwelling should promote the normal growth of personality (traits, states, needs, interests, etc.) and consider the presence of different personalities, as such “home space” should be flexible enough to permit adjustment and re-adjustment, rather than be regarded as an end itself.
The few insights that come from research studies indicate that people desire in their homes romance, comfort, togetherness, restoration, kinship, storage, stimulation, intimacy, productivity, obviously depending on the room. Restorative design can integrate all these characteristics in healthy residential spaces in order to support any personality type and type of need.
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