How we experience the world matters.

01How do sound, light and space shape the way a place feels?

Evidence Long-term exposure to road traffic noise above guideline levels is linked with harm to health, and the WHO advises keeping it under about 45 decibels at night (WHO Regional Office for Europe, 2018; Basner et al., 2014). Ordinary room light in the evening suppresses melatonin and shifts the body clock (Gooley et al., 2011). Design guidance on neurodiversity lists glare, flicker, acoustics, temperature, odor, visual complexity and layout among the qualities that make a space easier or harder to be in (British Standards Institution, 2022).

02What does nature have to do with wellbeing?

Evidence Reviews link access to green space with better mental wellbeing, more physical activity and lower stress, and note that access, safety, upkeep and how a space is actually used all matter (WHO Regional Office for Europe, 2016; Twohig-Bennett and Jones, 2018; Bratman et al., 2019).

Emerging Attention restoration theory proposes that natural settings help tired attention recover (Kaplan, 1995), and stress recovery research found faster physiological recovery with views of nature (Ulrich et al., 1991). Both are influential; the strength of the effects varies between studies.

03What gets in the way of taking part?

Evidence In classic experiments, unpredictable noise people couldn’t control had stronger after-effects than the same noise they could predict or stop (Glass and Singer, 1972). Neurodiversity design guidance points to background noise, crowding, confusing wayfinding and the lack of somewhere to retreat as common barriers (British Standards Institution, 2022), and the National Autistic Society’s guidance for venues suggests quieter sessions, lowered lighting and sound, and quiet areas.

Interpretation Control matters as much as the stimulus itself. A loud room you can step out of is a different experience from one you can’t.

04Why design for differences?

Evidence People differ in how strongly they notice and respond to sensory input, across the whole population (Dunn, 1997; Aron and Aron, 1997). Differences in sensory responsiveness are common among autistic people (Ben-Sasson et al., 2009), and they vary widely from one person to the next.

Interpretation No single sensory standard suits everyone. Good design offers range and choice instead of one setting for all.

05What can music, art, movement and shared experience offer?

Emerging A WHO scoping review found the arts can play a role in wellbeing across the life course, while noting that study quality varies widely (Fancourt and Finn, 2019). Making music and moving in sync with others are associated with feeling closer to each other (Tarr, Launay and Dunbar, 2014).

Evidence Social connection itself matters for health: a large meta-analysis linked stronger social relationships with a greater likelihood of survival (Holt-Lunstad, Smith and Layton, 2010), and the U.S. Surgeon General (2023) has named loneliness and isolation a public health concern. Much of this evidence is associational, so we treat it as a reason to explore, not as proof that any one experience improves health.

06Can technology help, without adding to the noise?

Emerging Evidence on screens and wellbeing is mixed: large studies find small average associations that vary widely between people (Orben and Przybylski, 2019).

Our approach We use technology to invite attention, not to compete for it: sound off until you choose it, motion you can turn down, nothing to win or score, and nothing recorded.

07Why is this a public health question?

Evidence People in the U.S. spend roughly 87% of their time indoors (Klepeis et al., 2001). Universal design principles hold that environments should be usable by the widest range of people from the start (Center for Universal Design, 1997).

Interpretation If the places we spend our lives in shape comfort, attention, participation and connection, then designing them well is a matter of public health, accessibility and culture, not just taste.