Designing for Human Behaviour.
Part 7
The Stone Age Mind in Modern Design: Balancing Evolutionary Hardwiring with Natural Instincts in Hospitality Spaces
At the core of it all, humans are far more similar than they would like to admit. In truth, no one is entirely unique. We may express ourselves in ways that are perceived as unique, and we may look different externally, but internally, we are all quite similar and motivated by similar triggers and social conditioning.
"Evolutionary psychology holds that although human beings today inhabit a thoroughly modern world of space exploration and virtual realities, they do so with the ingrained mentality of Stone Age hunter-gatherers. Homo sapiens emerged on the Savannah Plain some 200,000 years ago, yet according to evolutionary psychology, people today still seek those same traits that made survival possible then."
With agriculture emerging approximately 10,000 years ago, it suddenly allowed people to accumulate wealth, live in larger numbers and concentrations, and freed many from hand-to-mouth subsistence. This agricultural period spawned a relatively quick transformation into modern civilization, with advanced technology and communications impacting our social behaviour. Evolutionary psychologists argue, however, that there has been no consistent new environmental pressure on people that required further evolution. No eruptions of volcanoes or glaciers have so drastically changed the weather or the food supply that people’s brain circuitry was forced to evolve. Thus, evolutionary psychologists argue that although the world has changed, human beings have not.
In short, "You can take the person out of the Stone Age, but not the Stone Age out of the person" – *Nigel Nicholson*
As far as our habitat goes, consider that for 99% of human evolution and history, we have lived intimately involved with the natural ebb and flow of nature. This includes not only its dangers but also its proportions, natural light, textures, tonalities, colors, and smells. Our built environment has only existed for 1% of our evolutionary development, meaning that the principles of nature are embedded within us in many ways. This begins to explain why certain volumes and proportions of space and light have such a profound impact on us, often without us realizing the cause.
Alan Lightman, in his book *The Accidental Universe: The World You Thought You Knew*, claims that nature’s impact is far more profound than we previously understood. One only needs to consider the petals of a flower, the wings of a butterfly, or even the symmetry of our outer body appearances to understand nature’s impact on how we think visually. Symmetrical objects and images fit neatly into the patterns that our brains recognize as familiar.
"The architecture of our brains was born from the same trial and error, the same energy principles, the same pure mathematics that happens in flowers, jellyfish, and Higgs particles." – *Alan Lightman*
This is echoed by Johan Wagemans, an experimental psychologist from Belgium who specializes in visual perception and how our brains organize the incoming flow of information. He holds that symmetry is one of the major principles driving the self-organization of the brain.
However, we easily become bored with symmetry overload. Johan Wagemans found that although our brains favour the order of symmetry, symmetrical designs are not necessarily more beautiful. This is where the Japanese concept of
Fukinsei, i.e., the idea of creating balance through the "counterweight" of dissimilar objects, comes into play. This has equal bearing on art and its arrangement on a wall as it does in how we design spaces and arrange furniture.
There is an "optimal level of stimulation," says Wagemans: "Not too complex, not too simple, not too chaotic, and not too orderly."
With all of this in mind, we have created a Design for Behaviour book
of considerations and behaviours to be aware of within the context of social spaces in hospitality design.
We have identified
8 primary social behavioural considerations,
8 primary or preferred layout considerations,
and
8 factors that impact what food restaurant guests are likely to order.
We will cover these 3 topics in a basic overview in the next 3 newsletters.
These have also been covered in our Book which is available for order.
Research Reference Credits:
Lightman A. *The Accidental Universe: The World You Thought You Knew*
Nicholson N. *How Hardwired is Human Behaviour* – Harvard Business Review
Roos D. *Why Do We Get So Much Pleasure from Symmetry?* – June 2021
Wagemans J. *Detection of Visual Symmetries* – October 1994
Ariely D. *Predictably Irrational*
The 8 human needs to consider for good restaurant design.
More in the next Article.
We apply predictive human behavioural knowledge to design and curateÂ
highly successful social spaces within the built environment.
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