The effects of multi-sensory public seating on emotion regulation in youth communities

As urban housing pressures intensify, co-living communities are emerging as a new residential model for young adults. However, the high prevalence of depression and anxiety among this population highlights the potential value of incorporating emotional healing design in shared community spaces, particularly emphasizing the potential role of multi-sensory stimuli as a design intervention for emotion regulation. This study investigates the mechanism and evaluation pathway of multi-sensory healing community public seating design in regulating the emotions of youth in shared community spaces. Utilizing the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS-21) questionnaire, the study screened 10 young individuals (5 males, 5 females) with moderate to severe emotional distress as key participants. These participants rated the multi-sensory emotional healing features of 50 public seating samples. Fuzzy C-Means (FCM) clustering was applied to categorize the samples into three design types: Multi-Sensory Integrated Design Type (Cluster 1), Color and Form Design Dominant Type (Cluster 2), and Tactile and Interactive Design Dominant Type (Cluster 3), to obtain the representative samples. Subsequently, semi-structured interviews were conducted and analyzed using grounded theory to extract key sensory design elements. Based on these representative samples and sensory design elements, eight community public seating design options were developed with the aid of generative artificial intelligence. Finally, 25 evaluators (10 key participants and 15 experts) participated in an emotional perception assessment of the design options. The findings indicated that soothing colors, soft textures, and semi-enclosed, semi-partitioned forms were most effective in promoting emotion regulation. These features enhanced users' feelings of relaxation and tranquility while also encouraging social engagement in shared spaces. This study emphasizes the potential of community seating in non-clinical psychological intervention, establishes a new healing scenario, and provides theoretical and practical guidance for the emotional healing design of future public seating.