Well-being is built starting from the home. Indeed, it is precisely the way we build it – or restructure it – that contributes to our physical and mental health. The most recent confirmation comes from a study carried out by Maharishi University on the benefits of Answerthe ancient Indian building rules often confused with Feng Shui, with which in reality they only share the attention to the orientation of rooms and furniture.
What is ‘Vastu’
Born from a collaboration between Australian and US researchers, the study collects forty years of research indicating how the application of these ancient rules – which include attention to the use of natural materials, lighting and air exchange – can help reduce insomnia and stress, and in general improve the quality of life of those who live in a building.
“The Vedic tradition sees architecture as what connects man with creation”, explains the architect Federica Barazzuttiwho studied and applies this method: “The design of a building is essential to determine the well-being of those who live there”.
Most of the interventions concern new constructions, starting with the analysis of the ground, “but something can also be done during the renovation phase, to improve the conditions of a building and the balance of spaces”, remembers Barazzutti.
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In India, Vastu is still widely applied, with us those who approach this type of architecture are attracted by Indian culture, but also by a series of elements, such as the use of materials that are as natural as possible, which fall within the broader philosophy of sustainable architecture.
Millennial traditions meet environmental psychology
“It is plausible that the indications provided by millenary traditions have bases that today we can rediscover and verify experimentally, also through the theoretical and methodological references of environmental psychology”, he adds. Francesca PazzagliaProfessor of General Psychology at the University of Padua and director of the master in Architectural and Landscape Psychology of the University of Padua and of the Iuav of Venice. Some studies, for example, suggest that the arrangement of furniture in a room can be important because it creates reference points, and generally we all prefer to arrange ourselves so that we have an overall view of where we are.
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“The novelty is that today we have studies that allow us, for example, to know not only that nature, greenery or natural materials are good for us, but also” how much “nature we need or to analyze the interaction between individual characteristics and environmental factors “, continues Pazzaglia, who has dedicated a recent essay to the relationship between places and well-being What is restorative design (with Leonardo Tizi, Carocci, 2022). “Our recent research published in the Journal of Environmental Psichology it shows, for example, that during the lockdown, a high crowding of the houses corresponded to less satisfaction and greater stress, especially for the youngest “.
The interactions between humans and places
Environmental psychology was born in the 60s of the last century to study the interaction between human beings and places, with the idea that the homes and neighborhoods that welcome us can influence our well-being, emotions and even cognitive abilities.
“Of course, individual choices play a role, but there are objective elements that make a home more pleasant and others that create problems”, explains the teacher. Among the elements that generate environmental stress, the first places are noise and crowding, referring not only to the square meters available, but also to the way in which they are distributed and the possibility of having space for oneself. But pollution, the perception of insecurity, poor or inadequate lighting also weigh: “A room without windows, with only artificial lighting, generates discomfort”, remembers Pazzaglia: “Natural lighting allows you to perceive the changing light in the different hours of the day or seasons, and has positive effects on the physical and psychological level, even in the workplace “.
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The elements that promote well-being
However, there are also elements that favor well-being: “The places that treat, to quote the title of one of my books, are essentially such for two reasons: a subjective one, which arises from our history, and an objective one linked to specific characteristics that they have positive effects on our organism or on cognitive processes “, he specifies Paolo Inghilleri, full professor of Social Psychology at the University of Milan. Characteristics that concern the individual buildings, but also the neighborhoods.
From a cognitive point of view, the teacher continues: “The most suitable environments for us are those that associate familiar elements, which recall our previous homes, with a certain amount of novelty, something that attracts our curiosity and stimulates us”. Other elements of well-being are the perception of living in a safe area, with proximity shops and accessible spaces.
The importance of green
The fundamental element, however, is the presence of greenery, a theme that increasingly attracts architects, and is also linked to the increased attention to the environment. A preference that has strong evolutionary bases: “The places that make us feel at ease – recalls Inghilleri – are similar to those in which we have lived for tens of thousands of years: green spaces but with a wide view, trees and a course of ‘water”.
And if the first studies on the beneficial effects of green mainly concern healthcare environments, today we know that the natural environment makes us perform at our best from a cognitive point of view. “In evolutionary terms, we find beautiful landscapes that have elements useful for our survival, such as water and greenery – explains Pazzaglia – even if in landscapes we also appreciate the sign of history and human intervention, when it fits harmoniously into the landscape, as in the Prosecco hills of Conegliano and Valdobbiadene, Unesco World Heritage Site since 2019 “.
For those who live in the city, the solution is to insert natural elements in an urban context, or enrich their apartment with plants but also images that refer to nature or materials such as wood or stone, irregular surfaces that change over time. “Being us to introduce green in the home and to take care of it introduces a motivational effect that amplifies its benefits”, adds Inghilleri: “As for the materials to be used, according to Donald Normanone of the design theorists, there are three elements that contribute to determining the pleasantness of an object “.
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What makes a design attractive?
In the first place there is an attraction that we could define visceral, which has biological roots and is linked to the materials used, to the color; then there is a behavioral attraction, linked to the pleasantness of use and a reflexive attraction that is linked to its symbolic value or in terms of status. “Even the pleasantness of a space comes from a mix of these three elements – summarizes Inghilleri – to which is added the importance of greenery and the reference to previous positive experiences”.
Why do we choose one house instead of another?
An element, the latter, which is the most complex to define and perhaps the most important: “Our home is not just a physical space, it is a representation of ourselves, of our inner world to which the echoes of the houses of the past, “he explains Donatella Capriogliolecturer in the Psychology of Living at the University of Padua, who organizes training courses for architects and real estate agents: “When we fall in love with a house without understanding why, or we feel that it rejects us, even if in theory it would be perfect , memories of the past often come into play “, underlines Caprioglio, author of the essay In the heart of the houses. Inner journey between homes and mental spaces. How and why we choose our home (Ed. Il Punto di Incontro, 2012): “For this reason it is useful to give professionals in the sector tools to empathically observe and really listen to those who are addressing them, to help them understand what they really want”.
The rooms as parts of the body
A few examples? “The rooms represent parts of our body – explains Caprioglio: – The type of cuisine we choose says a lot about the relationship we had with nourishment during childhood, the living room represents the image of us that we want to give to others, the bathroom it speaks to us about our body. And it offers us an important opportunity, because water takes us back to the prenatal stage and helps us to regenerate: we should learn to enjoy these moments “. The conclusion is that an ideal home cannot exist, but there is a home that corresponds to our needs.
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The wrong models of furniture magazines
“For this reason – recalls the psychologist – it is wrong to take inspiration from furniture magazines: when you create or renovate a house, you shouldn’t think of others, but of ourselves”. And if we don’t always have all the space we would like, the important thing is that everyone can carve out a corner for themselves, a bedside table, a desk or a drawer in which to collect their dreams, suggests Caprioglio: “Teenagers’ rooms are an example how physical space represents mental space, and they must be respected, even if we don’t like them “.
In short, a house is also a tool for understanding ourselves, and the months of the lockdown helped us understand how important the space we live in is for our quality of life.