Short answer

Consider the emotional and spatial processing pathways in the brain when designing spaces; aim for a balance of aesthetic appeal and spatial clarity to enhance user experience and memorability.

Field: Human Factors
Source: bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) (2025)
Method: Neuroimaging (fMRI) study
Evidence: Strong effect

Specific brain regions, namely the ventromedial prefrontal cortex and parahippocampal regions, are differentially activated by the aesthetic and spatial complexity of architectural environments, influencing emotional response and spatial processing. This human factors research insight is drawn from a 2025 study published in bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory). Using Neuroimaging (fmri) study, researchers explored how this design variable affects real-world outcomes. The key design takeaway: Consider the emotional and spatial processing pathways in the brain when designing spaces; aim for a balance of aesthetic appeal and spatial clarity to enhance user experience and memorability.

Study

Human FactorsNew This WeekStrong effect

Prefrontal and Hippocampal Brain Activity Correlates with Aesthetic and Spatial Complexity in Architectural Experiences

bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) · 2025

Key Findings

01Ventromedial prefrontal cortex activity correlated with aesthetic valence (pleasantness) and task demands (judging valence).
02Parahippocampal regions showed increased activity with greater spatial complexity.
03The hippocampus and parahippocampal cortex were associated with memorability and were influenced by both aesthetic and spatial qualities.
04Specific aesthetic qualities like fascination, coherence, and hominess activated distinct brain regions.

Application

Design takeaway

Consider the emotional and spatial processing pathways in the brain when designing spaces; aim for a balance of aesthetic appeal and spatial clarity to enhance user experience and memorability.

How to apply

When designing a new building or urban space, consider how its visual aesthetics and spatial layout might be perceived and processed by the human brain. Use user testing to gather feedback on both emotional response and ease of navigation.

Project actions

01When researching user preferences, consider both subjective aesthetic opinions and objective measures of usability or complexity.
02If your design project involves creating an environment, think about how users will navigate it and what emotional responses you want to evoke.

Method & Evidence

AimTo investigate how different brain regions respond to the aesthetic and spatial complexity of architectural environments and how these responses relate to emotional valence and memorability.

MethodNeuroimaging (fMRI) study

ProcedureParticipants viewed first-person movies of journeys through various architectural spaces while undergoing fMRI. Following each viewing, they were asked to rate the spatial complexity or aesthetic valence of the environment. Post-scan, they reported the memorability of the spaces.

ContextNeuroarchitecture, architectural experience, cognitive neuroscience

Variables

IV["Aesthetic qualities of the environment (e.g., pleasantness, fascination, coherence, hominess)","Spatial complexity of the environment","Task (judging valence vs. judging spatial complexity)"]

DV["Activity in specific brain regions (e.g., ventromedial prefrontal cortex, parahippocampal gyrus, hippocampus)","Judged spatial complexity","Judged aesthetic valence","Memorability of spaces"]

CV["Type of stimuli (first-person movies of journeys)","Participant's viewing conditions","Immediate post-viewing task"]

Strengths & Limitations

Strengths

+Utilizes objective neuroimaging data (fMRI) to understand user response.
+Investigates the interplay between aesthetic and spatial factors, which are often studied in isolation.

Limitations

It's difficult to directly measure brain activity in a typical design project. You might need to rely on user feedback, surveys, and observational studies to infer similar cognitive responses.

Reliability & validity

The use of fMRI provides a high degree of internal validity for measuring brain activity. Reliability would depend on the consistency of participant responses and the reproducibility of findings across different samples.

Think critically

How might the findings on aesthetic and spatial processing be applied to the design of virtual environments or digital interfaces, where physical navigation is not a factor?

Design Principles

"Design for dual processing: Integrate aesthetic qualities that evoke positive emotional responses with spatial configurations that are easily processed and understood by the user."

Understanding the neural underpinnings of how users perceive and process architectural spaces can inform design decisions to create environments that are not only functional but also emotionally resonant and memorable. This knowledge can lead to more intuitive, engaging, and user-preferred built environments.

What This Means for Your Design

When you design something, different parts of people's brains react to how it looks (its beauty) and how complicated its layout is. Some brain areas get excited by pretty things, and others by complicated shapes. The memory part of the brain is affected by both.

How to use in your project

1.Reference this study when discussing the psychological impact of design choices on users, particularly concerning aesthetics and spatial cognition.

Add to My Project

Quick Cite

Paragraph starter

Research indicates that the human brain processes aesthetic and spatial complexity in distinct ways, with specific neural pathways responding to emotional valence and environmental layout. This suggests that effective architectural design must consider both the subjective emotional impact and the objective spatial characteristics of a space to optimize user experience and memorability.

Source

bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory)

Brain dynamics during architectural experience: prefrontal and hippocampal regions track aesthetics and spatial complexity

journal · 2025

View source

Questions About This Research

What does the research say about prefrontal and hippocampal brain activity correlates with aesthetic and spatial complexity in architectural experiences?: Consider the emotional and spatial processing pathways in the brain when designing spaces; aim for a balance of aesthetic appeal and spatial clarity to enhance user experience and memorability. Evidence: bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) (2025).
Why does "Prefrontal and Hippocampal Brain Activity Correlates with Aesthetic and Spatial Complexity in Architectural Experiences" matter for design?: Understanding the neural underpinnings of how users perceive and process architectural spaces can inform design decisions to create environments that are not only functional but also emotionally resonant and memorable. This knowledge can lead to more intuitive, engaging, and user-preferred built environments.
How can designers apply this research?: Consider the emotional and spatial processing pathways in the brain when designing spaces; aim for a balance of aesthetic appeal and spatial clarity to enhance user experience and memorability.
What were the main findings?: Ventromedial prefrontal cortex activity correlated with aesthetic valence (pleasantness) and task demands (judging valence).. Parahippocampal regions showed increased activity with greater spatial complexity.. The hippocampus and parahippocampal cortex were associated with memorability and were influenced by both aesthetic and spatial qualities.. Specific aesthetic qualities like fascination, coherence, and hominess activated distinct brain regions.
What research method was used?: Neuroimaging (fMRI) study.
How strong is the evidence?: Evidence strength is rated Strong effect, based on a 2025 journal from bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory).
What should I do differently in my next project?: When designing a new building or urban space, consider how its visual aesthetics and spatial layout might be perceived and processed by the human brain. Use user testing to gather feedback on both emotional response and ease of navigation.
What are the limitations?: The study used simulated experiences (movies) rather than direct physical interaction with spaces. The sample size and demographic diversity were not specified.