Residential Real EstateWhat An Environmental Psychologist Can Do For You
If you have never heard of an Environmental Psychologist it wouldn’t surprise many of us within the profession. In fact, one could count the number of stand-alone Environmental Psychology programs available through the United States higher educational system on one hand. Compounding the rarity of practicing Environmental Psychologists is that at the present one can only obtain a degree in this field by completing a doctorate program.
As such, many who complete this level of education typically find themselves in the field of academia. However, because the field examines human behaviors in relation to the environment, the research has broad applicability to many areas including corporations, retail and service businesses, architects, landscape and interior designers, city planners, land prospectors, house staging, and real estate sales just name a few.
The key to understanding the broad applicability of Environmental Psychologists is that we study human behavior patterns within environments, and as a result of our training can predict with some certainly the emotional and physical reactions caused by environmental cues.
In a community setting, an Environmental Psychologist will analyze environmental cues that contribute to perceptions/judgments of a community.
We might look at the types of advertising, messages within the advertisement, and the positioning of the advertisements. For example, advertising can be done a variety of ways, which include a variety of signage, sales ads in the windows, billboards, etc. Signs located high up along a commercial street indicate that the community is a drive-thru community because the sign is aimed at the driver of an automobile. Conversely, signs that are situated just above the head along sidewalks indicate that the community is a village because the signs are directed toward pedestrians. Another cue given by advertising within a community is the actual message. Messages that depict socially taboo behaviors that are not spread throughout all communities have the potential of inspiring a stereotype and/or negative image of the community. For example, an anti-teen pregnancy campaign targeted at select communities and not all communities within a city suggest that teen pregnancy is a problem within that particular community. While the types and placement of advertising is only one component of a community analysis, Environmental Psychologists also look at other community cues such as infrastructure, city-owned property, types of businesses, green spaces, property maintenance, owner/renter ratios, pets, etc.
Another popular setting for Environmental Psychologists is corporate offices, schools, and other large-scale gathering areas. In these settings we typically analyze the environment in order to identify factors that either contribute or detract from the desired behaviors. For example, schoolyards surrounded by tall chain-link fences with zero or very little green space tends to produce children with more behavior problems, lower test scores, and increased aggressive behaviors.
Likewise, corporate offices that utilize cubicle space as oppose to actual offices tend to yield greater stress levels, lower productivity, and higher turnover rates. Again, while this is a simple and broad overview, Environmental Psychologists examine environmental components related to physical attributes such as lighting, room size, acoustics, ancillary rooms (lunch rooms or lounges) wall and flooring materials, placement of work stations and equipment within the workstation, and the use of color just to name a few. We also look at the social environment and examine the various relationships between employees, supervisors, and management in order to analyze the links between behaviors and outcomes. This concept also extends into the school systems and examines the relationships between students, administration, and teachers.
Then there is the home environment. Because different people have different uses and expectations for their homes, we typically analyze occupant desires and behaviors, and strive to develop a home that is in accordance with those desires/behaviors. For example, some people use their home as a safe haven, a place to relax and unwind. Other people use their home as a social gathering place and have several cocktail, dinner, and evening gatherings throughout the year. The use of space for these two purposes couldn’t be more different - the former being tighter and cozier while the latter is more open with wide-open pathways.
Another way that Environmental Psychologists are used is in the planning and development of homes. For example, for a home where the occupants work standard 9-5 jobs the ideal location for both the kitchen and the bedroom are on the East side of home. The reason is because morning sunshine facilitates the absorption of melatonin and hence it is easier to wake up and the person will have more energy. The worst position for a Kitchen is on the West because when a partner comes home to prepare dinner they are all ready stressed from the day’s activity. Adding to this stress is the evening sun, which will typically shine in the kitchen causing it to be bright and warm. The combination of these two factors along with the physical heat generated from preparing dinner will place that individual in an agitated state; hence a greater propensity for verbal hostility. While these are only two reasons for use of an Environmental Psychologist, we also do a great deal of work developing environments that reduce the symptoms related to Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, Migraine Headaches, Asthma/allergies, and/or stress/anxiety related to daily life or end-of-life issues.
While these only cover the tip of an Environmental Psychologists vast knowledge, it is very difficult to describe five years of education in a two-page article. However, because I receive so many e-mails inquiring about the scope and practice of an Environmental Psychologist, I thought this brief overview might help those who have never heard of us better understand what we do. As I said above, because our discipline is the study of behaviors related to the environment, our expertise is vast and bridges the gaps between many other fields.