Episode 5 | Building Intentional Spaces
Susan Magsamen, Johns Hopkins neuroaesthetics leader and maker-turned-researcher, explains how design choices affect bodies and brains. Her team’s work measures real physiological responses and turns findings into practical frameworks for architects, health systems, and brands.
In this episode, Susan Magsamen outlines how her work at the intersection of neuroscience, the arts, and the built environment is shaping a new understanding of human well-being. As founder and executive director of the International Arts + Mind Lab at Johns Hopkins University and co-author of Your Brain on Art, Susan brings decades of research translating aesthetic experiences into measurable health outcomes.
“Most of us think we are thinking creatures that feel; we are feeling creatures that think.” — Susan Magsamen Executive Director, International Arts + Mind Lab, Johns Hopkins University
She explains how the Impact Thinking model emerged from this work, how projects like Space for Being demonstrated that people often misread their own physiological responses to space, and why design must account for sensory and neurodiverse needs.
Susan also discusses the Intentional Spaces Initiative, an effort to create standards and a five-year roadmap for evidence-based environments. She emphasizes the role of architects, manufacturers, and policymakers in advancing this field.
The conversation stays rooted in practical science, cross-disciplinary collaboration, and the next steps needed to build spaces that genuinely support human potential.