When we talk about cognition, we often imagine the human mind; however, contemporary neuroscience challenges this pervasive brain-based model. A new theory called 4E Cognition posits that cognitive processes are grounded in the body’s sensorimotor experiences. The notion of a distributed cognition that involves both internal and external components has been developed over time by the likes of Maurice Merleau-Ponty, David Chalmers, and Edwin Hutchins. The four “E”s of this new cognitive model are embodied, embedded, enacted, and extended.¹ If human cognition occurs in part outside of our brains, then there are strong implications that architecture and all spaces that we inhabit impact our cognition in profound ways.

4E Cognition
Embodied cognition emphasizes the role of the human body in thinking. Sensory experiences and motor activities directly shape how we think and feel.² Studies have shown that holding a warm drink makes people see others as warmer and more friendly. As babies, we connect the warmth of a parent holding us to the concept of love and trust. Similarly, when we use the word “grasp”, as in “he had a firm grasp of the situation”, the same region in our motor cortex that performs the action of grasping is activated.³ In the groundbreaking book Metaphors We Live By, Lakoff and Johnson show how language is rooted in our physical experience of movement and orientation in space.⁴ “Things are looking up.” I’m feeling down.” “Let’s make a plan and move forward.” We count on our fingers, our hand gestures aid in our cognitive processes, and our posture affects our mood. Embodied cognition is a catch-all term for the crucial role our body plays in connecting our brain and our world together, ultimately suggesting that our bodies are an inseparable part of our cognitive processes.

Embedded cognition stresses how our thinking is situated within an environment. Tools, objects, and social structures shape and enhance our thinking. Embedded cognition is a way of understanding that our mental processes are contingent upon context. Our social and cultural contexts influence how we think, we use calculators and maps to offload our thinking to things outside of our minds, and even language itself can be understood as an embedded cognitive tool. Cognition is not isolated within the brain, but is actively shaped by and embedded within our surrounding context. Embedded cognition is closely tied to extended cognition, which is the fourth “E”.

Enactive cognition looks at how we create understanding through interaction. Our activity in the world shapes our thinking. For example, learning to play a musical instrument involves moving the body and exploring the sounds it produces. Cognition is driven by action. We interact with the world around us, and it can be argued that we think primarily in order to act. We adapt to our environments, and at the same time we have the ability to shape our environments. Think of infants discovering their own hands or learning to walk, or of a carpenter learning the properties of wood through working with the material. The things we do in the world become part of our cognitive processes. Our actions shape our thoughts, and our thoughts shape our actions.

Extended cognition builds upon the premise of embedded cognition and takes it a step further. We don’t merely embed our thinking in the things around us; our cognition actually extends out into the external world. This is the most radical of the “4Es”. Extended cognition proposes that cognitive processes can extend beyond the boundaries of both brain and body to include external elements. If an external object is coupled with a cognitive process and performs a function that would otherwise be done internally, it can be considered as part of our cognitive system.⁵ We use maps on our phones for navigation, calendars to keep track of events, and reminders for important activities. Another good example is using a notebook to remember information, where the notebook functions as an extension of our memory. Similarly, the equations and diagrams a mathematician uses become part of their cognitive system. Collaborative problem solving can even be seen as an extended cognitive process, wherein thinking becomes distributed outside of each individual brain in an extended groupthink. Extended cognition stretches the limits of what we commonly refer to as thinking, but it is hard to argue that external elements such as notebooks and calendars lay outside of our cognitive system.

Cognition in Architecture
Now let us turn to the world of architecture and spatial design. Psychologist J.J. Gibson popularized the concept of affordance-based design; he asserts that spaces can intuitively suggest how they may be used.⁶ A wide, open plaza “affords” gathering and movement. A well placed bench “affords” sitting. The design itself provides cues that our bodies and minds readily understand, shaping our understanding of potential actions. Affordance-based design goes beyond function to generate a dialogue between our bodies and the built environment.

Let’s conduct a thought experiment and consider multiple ways that architecture could embed or extend our cognition. The door knob at the main entry of a house can remind us to lock up when we leave. A well placed window can call on us to pause and look outside. A dimmer on a light switch might suggest we think about the atmosphere of a space when using it. A bookshelf with our favorite books may call up wonderful stories and foundational learnings. A well designed library may act as a vast external memory bank. A warm room may invite us into sociability. A grand cathedral or train station may foster a spiritual or existential mindset. A carefully designed study may encourage focused thought and deep concentration. A low intimate alcove may afford focused and collaborative conversation.

These embodied cognitive functions bring up a series of questions. What if a building could guide us into deep thinking?

Can a building help us to think philosophically? Existentially? Morally?

Can a building help to soothe our anxiety? Depression? Loneliness?

Can a building be designed to bring rigor to our thought processes? Offload memory or other mental tasks? Consider multiple perspectives?

Can a building be designed to help us to see the beauty of the world around us? To think freely and creatively? To question our underlying assumptions?

Architecture has the ability to do all this. Beyond the discrete moments of door knobs and bookshelves, there is also the temporal aspect of architecture, which, when understood holistically, connects our thinking in one room to the next, and our experiences in the morning with those in the evening. Whether we are with people in a space or we are alone, what we are trying to do in the space, and what mood we bring with us; all these impact our perception and action, which in turn shape our cognition. The flow from space to space, the organization of building program, and the contextual relationships to both environments and ideas beyond the building; these all shape the patterns of our thinking.

These are important elements in an architecture of extended cognition. This way of approaching architecture takes into account the comprehensive potentials of its function and its context. A work of architecture doesn’t shape a singular idea, it shapes a mindset. Architecture does not shape thoughts, it shapes thinking. Good architectural design affords a multiplicity of mindsets for unique mental tasks, and it makes clear in which ways its spaces can afford our thinking.

If our cognitive processes are so deeply intertwined with our bodies and the external world, then the spaces we inhabit have the potential to shape the fabric of our emotional states and our higher-level thinking. By consciously manipulating architectural variables, designers can move beyond simply meeting functional needs to actively cultivating specific cognitive and emotional landscapes for inhabitants. The paradigm shift offered by 4E cognition compels us to reconsider the profound influence of architecture on the human mind.

Buildings are shelters for our bodies; we should design them for human action and sensation. Buildings are embedded with information; we should design them with relationships to good ideas. Buildings enact our doing; we should design them to maximize our free will. Buildings are extensions of our minds; we should design them with intent towards aiding our thinking.

An architecture of extended cognition has the potential to make people happier and more thoughtful. True thinking is hard to make space for in our day to day lives. Good architecture should not only offload rote cognitive tasks, but it should also help us to approach the deep thoughts that enrich our lives. Buildings can help us think. We should design architecture so that it guides our thinking in good directions. Architecture is an inhabitable thought, and an extension of our cognition. To riff on Churchill’s famous quote, first we think up a building; thereafter it helps us to think.

Sources:

1. Newen, A., De Bruin, B., & Gallagher, S. (Eds.). (2018). The Oxford handbook of 4E cognition. Oxford University Press.

2. Gallagher, S. (2005). How the body shapes the mind. Clarendon Press.

3. Rizzolatti, G., Fadiga, L., Gallese, V., & Fogassi, L. (1996). Premotor cortex and the recognition of motor actions. Cognitive Brain Research, 3(2), 131-141.

4. Lakoff, G., & Johnson, M. (2003). Metaphors we live by. University of Chicago press.

5. Clark, A., & Chalmers, D. J. (1998). The extended mind. Analysis, 58(1), 7-19.

6. Gibson, J. J. (1977). The theory of affordances. In R. Shaw & J. Bransford (Eds.), Perceiving, acting, and knowing: Toward an ecological psychology (pp. 67-82). Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

7. Goldin-Meadow, S. (2003). Thinking with your hands: The nature and function of gesture. Guilford Press.

8. Williams, L. E., & Bargh, J. A. (2008). Experiencing physical warmth promotes interpersonal warmth. Science, 322(5901), 606-607.