When science isn't beautiful: Lab aesthetics impact reaction times and reactive cognitive control

Aesthetic experiences are a universal and constant phenomenon, affecting our decision making, job performance, and emotional reactivity. While the effects of aesthetic experiences reach far beyond the simple appreciation of art, most research in the field still focuses on subjective ratings of fine art. The current study explored the effect of decorating a lab space, through the addition of a rug, faux plants, artwork, and nicer desk and chair, on a participant's inhibitory control and emotional reactivity. Study 1 used an online survey to confirm that participants found the aesthetic room (i.e., decorated lab space) more pleasing and comforting, and expressed a greater willingness to work in that space compared to the bare room. In Study 2, participants performed a Proportion Congruent Stroop task to examine inhibitory control and a Emotion Vocabulary Stroop task to test inhibitory control in the context of emotional stimuli, or their emotional reactivity. Average response times on both tasks were faster in the aesthetic room, while accuracy did not differ between the rooms. Additionally, the bare room may impact the use of reactive, but not proactive, cognitive control. These results suggest that the aesthetics of a lab space may impact the efficiency of inhibitory control and conflict resolution in laboratory tasks. This research provides a controlled and standardized attempt at understanding the role that aesthetics plays in our daily lives by elaborating on the understudied link between aesthetics and inhibitory control.