In the lab with...

We spend the majority of our lives inside buildings: schools, hospitals, offices, homes... Yet we rarely stop to ask what those buildings are doing to us biologically. Not aesthetically, not emotionally, but at the level of the nervous system, inflammation, and long-term health. Cleo Valentine has made that question the center of her career. For this edition of our In the Lab series, we spoke with Cleo about what EEG is beginning to reveal about the spaces we inhabit, and why the stakes of getting design right are higher than most people realize.

We often think of contemplative practices as solitary experiences like meditating alone, practicing mindfulness, or silently reflecting. But across the world, many of these practices are shared. Whether it’s prayer circles, religious gatherings, or even large-scale concerts or sport events, collective rituals can have profound effects on the brain and the body (Paez, 2015; Hagerty, 2013). Researchers are only beginning to understand the mechanisms behind these effects and what they can tell us about human connection, neuroplasticity, and well-being (Davidson, 2012; Bhugra, 2024). 

Mind wandering—those moments when our attention drifts from the task at hand—makes up 30 to 50 percent of our waking hours (McVay, 2007). Though often seen as a distraction, research shows it can foster creativity, emotional well-being, and mental rest (Kam, 2024). In this conversation with Dr. Julia Kam, whose award-winning research explores this everyday phenomenon, we delve into how mind wandering shapes our attention—an increasingly important topic in our post-pandemic world, especially in the context of focus and conditions like ADHD (Hasan, 2024).