What if our surroundings were feeding us nutrients? By definition a nutrient is “a substance that provides nourishment essential for the maintenance of life and for growth.”
Advances in neuroscience demonstrate the profound physiological impact of design and architecture on our body. Consequently, it is essential not only to avoid toxic environments but also to seek out and benefit from spaces that support our physical and mental health.
Wit, in this concept, acts as a vital nutrient that nourishes and builds cognitive reserve in a uniquely powerful way.
Cognitive reserve refers to the brain’s ability to effectively manage and adapt to stressors, damage, or aging by drawing on a rich stockpile of cognitive and emotional resources. This reserve functions as a buffer or “nutrient store” that supports ongoing mental and physical health, allowing people to maintain well-being despite challenges.[1] Whereas conventional health approaches often emphasise reactive measures—responding once health is diminished—
salutogenic design advocates for environments that actively build health before problems arise.[2][3]
Wit fosters this proactive cultivation of resilience by engaging the brain’s curiosity and pleasure systems, inducing positive emotions, and encouraging playful, creative thinking.
By integrating wit into architecture and design, we create contexts that trigger positive psychological, physiological, behavioural, and social changes. Psychologically, wit can reduce stress and anxiety by offering surprise and delight, which stimulate reward circuits and increase dopamine release. Physiologically, these effects contribute to stronger immune function and balanced neuroendocrine systems, similar to the proven benefits of laughter and joy. Behaviourally, spaces and objects using wit encourage exploration, social interaction, and flexible thinking—all key for cognitive vitality. Socially, wit fosters connection and shared experience, strengthening communal bonds and mutual support.
In this way, wit-rich environments become more than aesthetically pleasing—they become enriching ecosystems that sustain brain health, bolster the immune system, and prepare individuals for the mental and physical demands of life. The environment, animated by wit, transforms into a nurturing partner, simultaneously challenging and comforting to expand our cognitive and emotional reserves.
This approach reframes the role of design from passive shelter to active health generator, placing wit at the heart of salutogenic creativity and resilience.
Image: created with AI
[1] Cognitive Reserve Concept 2025 by Andrea de Paiva in NeuroAU
[2] Design as a Nutrient by Tye Farrow in “Constructing Health” 2024
THE ARCHITECTS OF WIT 