Multisensory stress reduction: a neuro-architecture study of paediatric waiting rooms

Abstract

The implementation of environmental satisfaction sources in the design of a health centre is a means to achieve stress reduction. The present work analyses the effect that these sources have on the stress reduction of patients' companions in a paediatric service. A two-phase study was carried out. During the first phase, 120 participants assessed 20 waiting rooms in situ in order to select the environmental sources with the greatest effect. During the second phase, the stress levels of 26 participants were measured in four simulated waiting rooms that combined the selected sources from the first phase. A multisensory simulation was carried out through a virtual reality experiment with visual, auditory and olfactory elements, and stress levels were measured at the psychological and neurophysiological levels. Results suggest that a combination of environmental satisfaction sources creates an important synergistic effect at the psychological and neurophysiological levels and underlines the importance of auditory and olfactory stimuli. Conclusions may be of interest to designers and managers of healthcare facilities.

Improving the Pedestrian’s Perceptions of Safety on Street Crossings. Psychological and Neurophysiological Effects of Traffic Lanes, Artificial Lighting, and Vegetation

“…As there are currently no neurophysiological metrics capable of quantifying pedestrians’ perceptions of safety in urban spaces, a more complete analysis of subjects’ responses requires the use of both psychological and neurophysiological variables. This hybrid approach allows conscious and unconscious components to be assessed, addressing the issue quickly and efficiently [ 40 , 41 ], and is compatible with the use of virtual reality technologies [ 42 ].…”

The Cognitive-Emotional Design and Study of Architectural Space: A Scoping Review of Neuroarchitecture and Its Precursor Approaches

“…For example, head transfer function (a response to how a sound emitted from a point is received after the sound arrives at the listener) is involved in how we perceive physical and virtual environments [ 277 ]. Hapticity plays an important role in the supramodal experience of architecture [ 278 ], and smell has important cognitive-emotional effects in certain situations, such as stress reduction [ 15 ].…”

“…High-beta band with higher activation in the temporal lobe in stressful environments [514]. 15 A combination of multisensory design variables produces a synergistic effect, which reduces stress. Measured through EDA, HRV, and EEG [15].…”

“…Although bidirectional human-space influence, and its impact on neural activity [ 14 ], is not new, the modern recording of experimental subjects’ neural activity during exposure to physical and simulated environmental situations provides a framework for future design and studies. For example, neuroarchitecture has allowed researchers to study some design variables in-depth, which reduce the stress, previously mentioned, in hospital spaces [ 15 ]. Accordingly, the cognitive-emotional effects of architecture have been addressed through different approaches and, more recently, through neuroscience.…”

Cognitive and perceptual influences of architectural and urban environments with an emphasis on the experimental procedures and techniques

“…Also, theta band enhancement was observed across the frontal lobe by increasing the level of comfort. Higuera-Trujillo et al (2019) [36] assessed how the combinations of different environmental satisfaction sources (CESS) of waiting rooms influenced stress reduction in health centers. Subjective evaluations and stress levels were measured by both neurophysiological responses included electrodermal activity (EDA), heart-rate variability (HRV), EEG signals, and psychological responses showing stress self-assessment and the State Anxiety Inventory.…”