Recent studies show that how you feel about your home environment has an effect on your emotional state, and vice versa. This is true not only of homes but also of workplaces and cities.

Many people spend a significant amount of time in their environments, so it is important to be aware of what factors may influence how you feel.

The way our surroundings look can have a powerful effect on us. For example, we tend to perceive rooms as more or less spacious depending on whether they contain furniture.

Architects design spaces by setting up certain types of furniture and using materials to create an impression of space. The size of windows, for instance, affects how much natural light the room receives, which changes how relaxed or energized the occupants feel.

In this article, we will discuss some ways architects influence emotions. But before jumping into those, let’s take a quick look at some basic concepts.

History of architecture

Modern day architectural styles like skyscrapers, Gothic cathedrals, or geometric shapes are influenced by many things, including emotions.

Modern buildings with their sharp angles and vertical lines resemble fear because they create an instinctual feeling of danger. The drop offs in these structures evoke feelings of anxiety as well as worry about what will happen to you once you need access to this building.

This effect was probably most prevalent during World War II when many high rise office towers were built. These tall, heavy objects made people feel insecure and threatened.

The influence of architecture on emotion is not new. Ancient cultures all over the world used certain types of spaces for specific purposes that have lasting effects on how we perceive space and our emotional states.

Geometric shapes such as squares and circles were integral parts of Egyptian temples and Buddhist monasteries. Their use comes down to mathematics and geometry being important concepts.

These geometrical shapes helped shape sutras, which are large collections of thoughts and beliefs related to spirituality.

Architecture has always played a big part in society’s subconscious emotions. It is just now we are more aware of it.

The Five Emotional Styles

There are five emotional styles that determine how you process emotions. These types of people use different strategies to manage their emotions, which can sometimes be contradictory.

People with an affiliative style enjoy and accept other people as they are. They feel close to others and want to connect with them.

Whereas individuals in aggressive or neutral styles try not to show much emotion, and don’t usually make friends very easily.

In comparison, individuals in depressive or disaffiliative styles may avoid social interactions completely because they don’t like who they are inside or what they think of themselves.

This article will talk more about each type and some examples of things that can be your own archtypical style. However, it is important to remember that these traits are generalizations, and one cannot assume anything about someone else’s personality based only on this information.

How architecture can affect your mood

More than just looking pretty, how a building shapes your emotions is a significant part of what makes an area feel comfortable or uncomfortable to be in.

This effect has been documented time and time again. The way that certain buildings evoke feelings such as calmness, happiness, fear or sadness depends largely on their shape, style and internal structure.

Certain shapes make you feel more relaxed, for example squares and rectangles. Others are less calming, like triangles and circles. Natural settings have a feeling of serenity due to the curves and contours of the land and nature.

Architecture with very sharp angles may increase stress levels because they challenge our protective instinct by making us feel threatened.

There are many theories about why this happens but no one really knows for sure. What we do know is that it impacts how we feel so positively or negatively depending on whether the setting works for us or not.

Examples of architecture that affect people

Many studies have confirmed that the design and style of your home or workplace can influence how you feel about it.

This effect is known as “affective bias” and has been studied in depth. For example, there are several theories around why some buildings look better than others – they are more elegant, striking, attractive etc.

The thing is though, even if a building isn’t aesthetically pleasing to you, subconsciously it may still make you feel good. This is because we automatically assign feelings to things depending on what they represent- for instance, a beautiful beach house will give you a sense of calm and relaxation.

Examples of emotions in architecture

Aesthetics, color, proportion, shape, line, space, and fluidity all play important roles in inspiring emotion. Elements that make up your home or work environment are influenced by these factors.

Aesthetics refer to how something looks. For example, beautiful aesthetics may include bright colors, large spaces, and elaborate decorations. These features appeal to the eye and subconsciously influence our emotional state.

Color is another powerful tool in creating an emotionally engaging design. The shades you pick for furniture and walls can have strong effects on moods.

For instance, red is considered a stimulating color, like tapping into someone’s energy. While green is known as calming, like nature.

And while it may sound crazy, there’s scientific proof supporting this theory! Color psychology has been around since ancient times and cultures throughout history used color to evoke feelings.

Proportion refers to the relationship between parts of an object. In interior design, proportions affect how well the different elements fit together and contribute towards making the whole image feel cohesive and natural.

Shape also plays a big part in defining the space and establishing flow. An oval table with matching chairs makes a nice circle that feels intimate and cozy. A square coffee table paired with matching armchairs creates a more formal feeling.

Line and space describe what kind of texture, pattern, or structure is present in the area.

Factors that affect happiness

There are several factors that influence our moods and emotions. These include things like income, career, house, location, etc.

But what most people don’t realize is how much of an effect their surroundings have on their emotional state.

Architecture is a powerful tool for influencing your emotional well-being.

Surroundings such as colors, shapes, and textures can make a big difference in your overall feeling. For example, a bright green room may help you feel happier than a dark red one.

Certain textures — like smooth surfaces or grainy ones — can also boost your sense of calm. A bedsheet made out of silk will probably leave you feeling more relaxed than one made from cotton.

And while it might sound crazy, there are some weird studies suggesting that looking at lots of flowers can actually make you happy!

The way beauty impacts us comes not only down to aesthetics, but also psychology. According to psychologist Albert Maslow, we form attachments to things based on how they make us feel.

So when you walk into a flower shop, even if you don’t plan on buying anything else, just browsing could inspire a nice feeling. Or maybe picking up a few pieces makes you laugh, which reminds you of someone you love. That’s why it’s important to expose yourself to beautiful things – because it makes you feel good.

Factors that affect sadness

A well-designed area or space can make you feel good, but not always for pleasant reasons. It may be because it is beautiful or expensive, making you admire it and become subconsciously motivated to spend money in the same way as designed rooms do.

The design of an office or home also makes some people feel stressed, overwhelmed, or even depressed due to how much furniture there is and how little open space they have.

There are several theories about why this happens. Some say it’s because of how spaces relate to each other and your body’s natural instinct to gather and organize things.

Other theories suggest that it’s because of how certain shapes influence our emotions. For example, triangles often create feelings of fear and insecurity because they trick your mind into thinking something bad will happen.

Still others believe it’s because of familiar patterns which help us connect with memories and experiences. This connection can go both positive and negative, however.

Overall, whether you are interested in architecture or not, studying how architectural styles influence emotion can help understand why certain environments make people feel a certain way.

Factors that affect stress

Beyond safety, things like how well your house fits into its surrounding area or whether the rooms are connected to each other play an important role in lowering stress.

Another key factor is the feeling of control people get when planning and designing their home. Professionals will often refer to this as sense of empowerment.

By creating spaces and layouts that feel natural, you give yourself more freedom to do what with these spaces. This can be for personal use or sharing them with others.

The importance of space in reducing stress has been studied extensively. Generalizations about the best spacing depend on how much stress you’re trying to reduce, but there are some general rules of thumb.