Room to Think
Room to Think
Lyssia Katan
Our Prehistoric Brains at Home
1 hour 13 minutes Posted Feb 10, 2026 at 5:00 am.
Why Environments Change How We Feel
Meet Dr. Sally Augustin And Designology
Path To Environmental Psychology
Measuring Creativity In Different Spaces
Clutter, Attention, And The Brain
Biophilic Design And The Meadow Metaphor
Wood Grain, Natural Materials, And Limits
Shiny vs Matte: Glare And Safety
Natural Light, Mood, And Performance
Softer Chairs, Reclining, And Negotiation
Tables, Equality, And Room Geometry
Familiarity Under Stress And Culture
First Language, Gendered Nouns, And Form
Design Matters, But Motivation Too
The Inner Chipmunk: Seating And Safety
Open Offices, Noise, And Soundscapes
Scents, Subtlety, And Perceived Control
Branding Scents, Allergies, And Risks
Light Temperature, Brightness, And Tasks
Three Rules: Chipmunk, Meadow, Sun
Ignore Trends, Design For People
Closing Thoughts And Listener Invite
0:00
1:13:17
Download MP3
Show notes
Ever walked into a beautiful room and felt strangely tense? We dig into why spaces that photograph well can still exhaust your brain—and how small, science-backed changes can flip a room from draining to restorative. With Dr. Sally Augustin, environmental psychologist and author of Designology, we unpack how design cues shape stress, focus, creativity and the way we treat each other. We start with clutter and minimalism, revealing how both visual overload and visual scarcity strain attention...