Understanding the Cognitive Immersion of Hospitality Architecture in Culture and Nature: Cultural Psychology and Neuroscience Views.

Haihui Xie,Teresa Riso,Chiara Nespoli,Qianhu Chen

doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2022.833819

Abstract

Hotel architectural design plays a critical role in the hospitality experiences of consumers, and it is important to consider that people may have different aesthetic cognitions toward the sensory properties of nature (i.e., the architecture of the hotel), such as its color and texture, as well as the landscape. While neuroaesthetics has emerged as a nascent field in hospitality research, few studies have investigated how nature reflects aesthetic experiences in the human brain. Moreover, the neuroaesthetic interpretation of architecture through the aesthetic triad is a novel interdisciplinary field. A field survey conducted at Amanfayun, a hotel in Hangzhou, China, in support of our propositions proves that sensory-motor, knowledge-meaning, and emotion valuation systems play key roles in appreciating architectural aesthetics. This study demonstrates that the evaluation of fluency, complexity, and naturalistic patterns of an architectural masterpiece is achieved through the sensory-motor systems. Our results also prove that familiarity, expectations, context, and cultural background directly affect the aesthetic knowledge of an individual and the meaning of architecture. Moreover, the interaction of sensory-motor and knowledge elements is uniformly moderated by the emotion valuation systems, resulting in a balanced appreciation of aesthetic architecture. Finally, the study reveals the central roles of culture and nature in cognitive rejuvenation.

Highlights

IntroductionMore than half of humanity lives in urban areas, and this statistic will reach 70% in 2050 (Heilig, 2012)
Despite worldwide pride in urbanization, there is an unfortunate disconnect between modern architecture and natural elements, those related to cultural heritage
As indicated by many scholars (Turner et al, 2004; Paraponaris and Sigal, 2015; Chatterjee and Vartanian, 2016), an unprecedented increase in urban living is associated with a lack of exposure to the cultural and natural environment, and evidence indicates that this situation coincides with an alarming global prevalence of mental health disorders (Whiteford et al, 2013)

Summary

Introduction

More than half of humanity lives in urban areas, and this statistic will reach 70% in 2050 (Heilig, 2012). As indicated by many scholars (Turner et al, 2004; Paraponaris and Sigal, 2015; Chatterjee and Vartanian, 2016), an unprecedented increase in urban living is associated with a lack of exposure to the cultural and natural environment, and evidence indicates that this situation coincides with an alarming global prevalence of mental health disorders (Whiteford et al, 2013). Echoing the aforementioned mental health problems, an increasing number of studies, especially those at the intersection of neurocognition and hospitality architecture, have revealed that eco-aesthetics play a moderating role in the relationship between neurorecalibration and longevity (Turner et al, 2004; Whiteford et al, 2013). Scholars have noted that because cultural heritage and nature could bring various health benefits to human beings, hospitality architecture is experiencing a paradigm shift in which cultural and ecological landscapes are transplanted into the structural design of hospitality architecture (Rossi et al, 2020). The individual imprints of culture, nature, and architectural aesthetics on the brain are well documented in the literature (Usai et al, 2020), hitherto, the joint importation of culture and nature into architecture, especially the implication on the human nervous system, has not been researched (Turner et al, 2004)

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