This has been in the works for a few weeks now, but I’m excited to announce that I’m starting a new blog on Psychology Today magazine’s website called Design and the Mind. This new blog will build on the research I’ve been doing for AoJ, looking at how everyday objects affect our emotions, thoughts, and behavior in unconscious ways. Though I’m always focused on how design can make our lives happier and better, on the PT blog you may find explorations into how design invokes other emotions besides joy — exhilaration, frustration, fear, elation, and everything in between.
I’m really excited about this new platform for sharing ideas about design and emotion. The first post, A Happiness Hat, is up on the site now. The piece looks at a conceptual design for a hat (by Lauren McCarthy, pictured above) that makes you smile (or else!) and the very real yet very mysterious psychological principles that underpin the idea. I’m looking forward to hearing your thoughts about the blog, and what you’d like to see in that new space.
Don’t worry though — I’m not going anywhere. This new project doesn’t change the fact that I’ll be sharing thoughts here on AoJ every day, just as I always do. Thanks for reading, and sharing the joy!
xx Ingrid
Discussion (1 Comment)
Congrats on the new forum, Ingrid. Your platform is expanding … joyfully! Your Happy Hat post got me thinking about the contagiousness of a smile. And how a performer (I’m thinking dance here) can bring the audience into the experience more, just by smiling — that is, looking as though they are having a wonderful time. I’ve done a little bit of dance performance myself, and have been criticized for *not smiling*. Funny thing is, I *felt* as though I was smiling. I was having a great time and thought I was projecting that outward. But apparently I wasn’t. My serious expression (concentration?) did not go over well. A serious facial expression is befitting some dances, though, such as the tango. Alas, I was dancing Cha Cha and Waltz.