Homeostatic Designs: How the Theories of Antonio Damasio Can Inform Design Thinking

Abstract

This paper discusses the role of homeostasis through the lens of the neuroscientist Antonio Damasio and its potential relation to design. The understanding of physiological regulation has evolved from the Greek idea of body humors, through Claude Bernard's "milieu intérieur", to Walter Cannon's formulation of the concept of "homeostasis. This evolution was important to the homeostasis concept. However, these views of homeostasis do not usually conjure up the fact that there are two kinds of control of internal milieu parameters. The first one is the traditional one: a non-conscious form of physiological control which operates automatically without awareness or deliberation on the part of the organism. There is a second, additional regulatory system in humans and most animals that can be conscious and involves feelings of the simplest variety, also known as homeostatic feelings. Feelings are the main contribution of Damasio to homeostasis theories. It is important to understand what homeostatic sensations are and how they function because how we feel can start to serve as homeostatic guides. The relevance of the body's homeostasis and emotional reactivity in our brain is becoming increasingly evident in neuroscience yet difficult to incorporate into the design fields; therefore, this paper offers an opportunity as a line of research inquiry. Discussing homeostasis theory in design offers insight into how this can contribute to the built environment, privileging design and outcome.