This line of thought of Chinese origin proposes that the environment is endowed with energetic vibrations and that the proper arrangement of objects, furniture, and buildings can preserve the positive energetic influences of a place and redirect the negative ones, in order to benefit the users of the space.
Thus, Feng Shui practitioners set up and organize spaces (such as homes and workplaces) in a way that favors their energetic flow. However, setting aside individual beliefs, we can imagine that the first studies of such an ancient technique, which has existed for over 4000 years, may have arisen due to the sensations naturally provoked by certain environments.
Our feeling in a dirty and disorganized place is very different from that in a clean and organized one. A tidy space commands respect and discipline, while disorganization fosters disrespectful behavior.
When things are out of place or when it is noticeable that some rules have been broken, it seems that people feel less restrained to commit small infractions, and their behavior can be affected. This was shown in a study published in Science in 2008, which measured the amount of litter thrown in a public space under two conditions: in the first, the walls of the location were clean; while in the second, the walls were vandalized. Surprisingly, the results showed a 36% increase in the number of people who littered on the ground in the second context (vandalized walls) compared to the first (Keizer et al., 2008).
To assess the effects of the work environment, a study sought to show how the decoration of this place can interfere with employee satisfaction. The research involved over two thousand office workers and showed that the more control they had over their space, the happier and more motivated they felt regarding their jobs (Knight and Haslam, 2010a). Another study showed a 17% increase in productivity among people working in an enriched environment (decorated with plants and photos) and a 32% increase when they had the freedom to personalize the place where they worked, thereby imprinting their own identity on the location (Knight and Haslam, 2010b). This demonstrates that in addition to decoration and organization, assigning personal characteristics to things makes them more valuable, which can also be seen in products.
The sensory characteristics and quality of a product are, obviously, the main factors involved in its appreciation; however, what will be the contribution of the peripheral signals associated with it, such as the brand? Could it have some influence on the evaluation of a product?
To answer this question, a study evaluated the difference in perception between four cola brands. In the first stage, individuals underwent a blind taste test, that is, they tasted the beverages without knowing which brand they represented, and rated them from 1 to 5 (with 1 being the lowest – “very bland,” and 5 being the highest – “very good”). In the second stage, the same beverages were evaluated, but now with their brands visible, and in this scenario, there was an increase in the score assigned to the beverage of the brand preferred by the participants, demonstrating the influence of this characteristic on their choices.
In general, nothing occurs in isolation; there is always a place and a context, which can, in some situations, influence our perception. And this makes me wonder... Could the association of positive social values with famous brands favor the emergence of new perspectives on old problems?
References
Designing your own workspace improves health, happiness and productivity. Science Daily - http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/09/100907104035.htm. September 8, 2010;
Keizer K, Lindenberg S, Steg L. The spreading of disorder. Science. 2008;322:1681-1685;
Knight C, Haslam SA. Your Place or Mine? Organizational Identification and Comfort as Mediators of Relationships Between the Managerial Control of Workspace and Employees' Satisfaction and Well-being. British Journal of Management. 2010a;21(3):717;
Knight C, Haslam SA. The relative merits of lean, enriched, and empowered offices: An experimental examination of the impact of workspace management strategies on well-being and productivity. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied. 2010b;16(2):158;
Sheen MR, Drayton JL. Influence of brand label on sensory perception. P 89-99
Wikipedia – Feng Shui – http://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feng_shui.
Figure: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Feng_shui.svg?uselang=pt-br
