Design Psychology and Creating Healing Environments
In healthcare and aesthetic spaces, intentional design can mean the difference between anxiety and regulation.
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Wellness
Positive Psychology and the Emotional Spiral of Beauty
Positive psychology is the science of human flourishing. Unlike traditional psychology, which focuses on mental illness, this discipline explores what makes life meaningful, joyful, and resilient.
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The Aesthetic Triad – How Beauty Creates Meaning
The aesthetic triad is a model explaining how the brain processes beauty through three interconnected systems: sensory-motor (perception and physical response), emotion-valuation (pleasure and meaning), and knowledge-meaning (memory and context).
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Interoception and Inner Awareness Through Beauty
Interoception is the brain’s ability to sense the internal state of the body—heartbeat, breath, gut sensations, temperature, and even emotional shifts.
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Psychodermatology – Skin, Stress, and the Brain
Psychodermatology is the study of how psychological states influence the health and function of the skin—and how skin health, in turn, affects the mind.
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Psychoneuroimmunology – Why Self-Love Reduces Inflammation
Psychoneuroimmunology (PNI) is the interdisciplinary science that explores how our thoughts, emotions, and nervous system activity influence the immune system. This field reveals that psychological stress doesn’t just affect the mind—it triggers cascades of immune dysregulation, chronic inflammation, and cellular damage.
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Self-Compassion Theory and the Aesthetic Ritual
Self-Compassion Theory defines three essential components: self-kindness, common humanity, and mindfulness. When we meet ourselves with the same empathy we offer others, we interrupt cycles of self-judgment and activate our parasympathetic nervous system—the body’s healing state.
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Enclothed Cognition and the Psychology of Style
Enclothed cognition is the psychological theory that what we wear impacts how we think, feel, and perform. First introduced in a 2012 study published in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, the concept suggests that clothing carries symbolic meaning—and that when we put on an outfit, we also take on its psychological traits.
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Embodied Cognition – Your Body Shapes Your Mind
Embodied cognition is the scientific theory that our thoughts, emotions, and decisions are not just processed in the brain—but shaped by our body’s movements, sensations, and interactions with the world.
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Mirror Neurons, Reflection, and Self-Compassion
The Science of Mirror Neurons Mirror neurons are a class of brain cells that activate both when we perform an action and when we observe someone else performing that same action. Discovered in the 1990s, they form the biological basis for empathy, imitation, and emotional resonance. They allow us to “mirror” the internal state of
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Neuroaesthetics and the Healing Power of Beauty
Understanding Neuroaesthetics Neuroaesthetics is a field of neuroscience that studies how the brain responds to beauty. It explores what happens neurologically when we encounter something we find aesthetically pleasing—whether that’s a painting, a face, a sunset, or a feeling of symmetry. Studies show that when we experience beauty, specific regions of the brain activate, including
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The Science of Beauty Sleep
Beauty sleep is a real thing. How do you know if you are getting enough sleep? How do you know if your sleep is as restful and restorative as it needs to be? What happens when you sleep? We spend a third of our lives asleep-something important must be going on during that time, right?
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