Beauty, Brains & Workspaces
Our working environments have an impact on us in the same ways that we impact them. On days when my desk is cluttered and the washing piles up in another room, order feels distant and so does my productivity. In my years in property development, I watched teams obsess over natural light, flow, and sensory experiences in workplaces. Only recently, through the work of Dr. Nancy Etcoff at Harvard and the field of neuroaesthetics, have I come to understand why these details matter so much: our environments shape our emotions and our ability to focus.
Neuroaesthetics is still a young science, but it is asking a timeless question in a new way: what happens in our brains when we experience beauty? As the Crimson article highlighted, this field is deliberately interdisciplinary. It draws on neuroscience, psychology, philosophy, and design to explore how art, colour, music, and architecture shape our cognitive and emotional states. Etcoff herself argues that beauty is not just a cultural indulgence, it is a fundamental human experience, hardwired into us through evolution. When we encounter beauty, certain neural pathways light up in the same reward circuits that fire for food or social bonding. In other words, beauty is not “extra,” it is essential.
That is why I have created a ritualistic setup for my own workspace. I painted the walls in bright, creativity-inducing colours. I chose furniture that makes me want to spend time in the room. I keep a scent diffusing in the background to ground me, a desk cleared and organised to invite me in, and artwork in my eyeline that sparks joy. Clients notice too. They often comment on my background during calls, and it is a reminder that beauty in environment is contagious. It shifts not just me, but the way others experience me.
When my space is set up beautifully, I feel energised to jump into work. I feel inspired, grounded, and able to be fully present for others, like a fresh page waiting to be written on. But when clutter creeps in, I feel erratic, distracted, and detached from presence. It is like the page has scribbles and half-finished notes all over it. I cannot focus on the now because the past and unfinished keep pulling me back. I am less likely to drop into flow because the space itself is reminding me of everything undone.
The neuroaesthetics research suggests this is not just in my head. Our sensory environments such as colour, sound, light, and texture can either support or sabotage our capacity for presence. Beauty lowers stress hormones, engages the brain’s reward systems, and primes us for connection and creativity. Etcoff’s students at Harvard discuss how even small details like symmetry, natural light, or the presence of greenery can measurably shift mood and cognition. What is fascinating is that while the mechanism may differ depending on culture, upbringing, or even neurodiversity, the effect is remarkably consistent: beauty matters.
One small, accessible action to beautify and order your space is to reset it each day. Create some order to support your feeling of order and try it for a week to see if it changes you.
Next time you come out of a flow state, pause before moving on. Look around and notice what supported it. Was it a smell, a sound (or lack of it), the light, colours, or a touch of nature? These are your “anchors,” the things you can intentionally recreate.
Think of it like cooking. When you are ready to make your favourite meal, how does it feel if you have to spend 20 minutes cleaning up first? Now compare that to walking into a clean kitchen where everything is ready for your chefing. The difference is presence.
And if you think you are too busy for this? If I told you that five minutes a day spent resetting your environment could make your team more focused and productive, would you still be too busy? Maybe try it for a week and see how you feel.
Our environments whisper to us constantly. Sometimes with clutter and distraction, other times with calm and possibility. Neuroaesthetics might still be an emerging science, but we do not need a lab to notice the difference beauty makes in how we feel and how we work.
So, here is the question I will leave you with:
If your space is a mirror of your mind, what story is it telling today, and what story do you want it to tell tomorrow?
Photo by Michael Burrows, courtesy of Pexels.
Source article: https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2017/11/10/neuroaesthetics-cover/