The Overlooked Power of Proprioception and Interoception in Space Design.
Our experience of spaces is shaped not only by the five familiar senses, sight, smell, sound, taste, and touch, but also by lesser-known senses like proprioception and interoception.
These hidden sensory systems guide how we move through the world, navigate environments, and interpret the internal signals of our bodies. From climbing stairs without looking to feeling a room’s ambiance, these senses play a critical role in how we perceive and interact with our surroundings. This article explores the profound impact of these silent forces on spatial design, revealing how they influence everything from functionality to emotional connection.
This is the 4th and final chapter focused on the invisible impact of interior space on our behaviour (and vice versa). In addition to the traditional five senses already covered, sight, smell, sound, taste, and touch, we also have the senses of proprioception and interoception. Both are still poorly understood and are often not given their due credit in how we experience spaces. Together, they help our bodies navigate through life and regulate and balance our movements and internal systems.
Proprioception deals with how our brain understands where our bodies and body parts are in space and, like our other, better-known five senses, is core to helping our brain navigate the world. Interoception, in addition, is the feeling of knowing what is happening in our body. Feelings of hunger, thirst, warmth, and cold are basic examples. It is core to guiding us in how we feel in a space.
The receptor responsible for proprioception is called piezo2 (Piezo is Greek for “to press”) and was only discovered in 2009. As late as 2015, scientists were just starting to figure out what Piezo did in mice, let alone what it did in humans.
Proprioception includes the sense of movement and position of our limbs and muscles relative to each other. Whilst scientists do agree that there is an overlap, proprioception differs from both touch and interoception sensory input.
Proprioception sensory information comes primarily from special receptors in our muscles and joints. Touch comes from sensory information through our skin (also often referred to as the eyes of our skin).
Interoception is the sense of our internal organs and feeling our emotions. Whilst touch helps us to understand how hot a beverage may be, proprioception enables us to bring that beverage to our mouths without crashing it into our face and spilling it all over ourselves, and interoception helps us to understand how we feel about it.
Commercial uses of the principles of interoception and proprioception are gaining increased focus, momentum, and visibility in the retail industry, with a lot more attention given to spatially intelligent design and our bodily experience and relationship with goods such as clothing, furniture, automotive design, and interior design. Proprioception and interoception are active every time you get in or out of a chair or navigate your way around the cockpit of a car or a room, for example.
Think about your experience driving a car. Without looking at the steering wheel, gear lever, radio switch, brake and petrol pedals, indicators, or wiper blades, we are able to navigate all these controls seamlessly by simply thinking about their position relative to our own controls (hands, arms, feet, legs). Proprioception and interoception both have to do with our physical awareness and emotional connection and experience factors.
Proprioception and interoception are also very important considerations in the designing of interior spaces where the same principles apply. On a practical level, think about climbing stairs. You don’t have to look at each one whilst climbing it, as you have a sense of your body and feet relative to the height of the riser. It only becomes a problem when a step within a series of steps is higher, lower, or even longer than the rest, causing people to stumble or even fall. Interestingly, people tend to stumble over one step more frequently than over two or more.
Unfortunately, the majority of interior architecture is designed for the eye of the beholder and not for a full positive neuro-aesthetic experience. This approach is especially critical in hospitality spaces where all our senses can be engaged. It’s not about colours, styles, and trends, and this is where so many designers and even design awards, unfortunately, get it wrong. Proprioception and interoception are not visible on Pinterest. They’re not evident in a photograph.
Barbara Gail Montero has also argued that proprioception can be an aesthetic sense.
“One can make aesthetic judgments based on proprioceptive experience. It’s possible for an interior to be pleasing to the eye, and yet miss the mark of all that really matters in a space.”
Service industries are only just starting to become more aware of the impact of proprioception within hospitality design. “Restaurants, for example, with revolving floors and real or simulated views will rise in popularity, as customers seek more direct connections between spatial body stimulation and the food they eat.”
In understanding the profound impact of proprioception and interoception on our behaviour and experiences, we unlock a deeper layer of design's potential to connect with us on a sensory and emotional level. By designing spaces that align with these often-overlooked senses, we can create environments that are not only functional but also deeply intuitive and satisfying, transforming how we interact with and feel within the spaces we inhabit.
As we conclude this series, we invite you to explore the previous articles from this exploration of how our senses impact the way we experience spaces.
Information Reference Index:
The Hidden Sense That Shapes Wellbeing
Proprioception as an Aesthetic Sense
A Sixth Sense? It’s in Your Genes
Proprioception as an Aesthetic Sense
The Impact of Touch on Decision Making
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