March 2021 – How Ceiling Height Affects the Way you Think!

Greetings everyone ! While I was reflecting on how we are in new beginnings – a new year, and new month and almost a new 20 year cycle (begins in 2023, ) I realized that I began my monthly newsletters in March, 2007, 14 years ago! so to celebrate the occasion, I am offering a new membership drive this month. I would love to have you join us. In addition to the many videos and articles I have on the site, I am planning on adding interviews, webinars, and the usual monthly Auspicious dates and Feng Shui. The details and links are on the following link.

https://members.invisiblearchitecture.com/join/

I am sending one of my first articles from 2007 on how ceiling height affects the way you think. What is amazing is that the research that was done on this subject in 2007 by the University of Minnesota is still published and discussed in many places on the web. Scientific America has even picked it up!

In Feng Shui, it has been known for thousands of years that architecture has a profound effect on human behavior and capabilities. Ceiling height is acknowledged to affect people physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually. At this point in time however, such knowledge is usually only accepted as valid if it can be scientifically verified. In this vein, I was excited to find
scientific research on how the height of ceilings affects our mental processing!

In 2007, Joan Meyer’s-Levy, a professor of marketing at the University of Minnesota, conducted different experiments testing how the height of a room’s ceiling affects how people think. The tests ranged from anagram puzzles to product evaluation. She wanted to investigate the effects on individual’s notions of freedom versus confinement and how such effects further influenced information processing. She hypothesized that higher ceilings would bring more relational processing with the subjects focusing on multiple pieces of data to discern their commonalities. On the other hand, the subjects under the lower ceilings would be more focused on the precise attributes of each item.

She randomly assigned 100 people to two rooms that were identical in all features except the height of the ceiling. One room had an eight foot ceiling and the other
room had a ten foot ceiling.As expected, the subjects beneath the higher ceilings analyzed information in a more abstract and integrated way than those under the lower ceilings, who were more likely to notice specific details. Amazingly, those in the room with higher ceilings created anagrams that were “freedom” related while those in the room with lower ceilings created anagrams that were more about “confinement and security.” This research shows that under the higher ceilings people feel less constrained, think more freely and make more abstract connections. The sense of confinement prompted by the low ceilings, on the other hand, inspires a more detailed, statistical outlook.

Both ceilings have their place, depending on the thinking processes that are required. Higher ceilings produce more creative, bold initiatives, while lower
ceilings are more productive for endeavors such as accounting and technical work. When thinking about our schools, offices, home offices, art studios, and other related spaces, we usually focus on the space that we are actually using and don’t realize the importance of that “empty space” above our heads! Research has also found that it is important not to have a light source (fixture or bulb) directly above your head. It weakens your energy field and creates lack of focus.

I think it’s time to take a moment and “Look Up” and see how our ceilings are affecting our thought processes! I finally have Shungite harmonizers back in stock! Hope to see you as a new
member.

https://members.invisiblearchitecture.com/join/

Love and Light,
Carol