Healing Space Design Effects on Emotion Regulation: A Scoping Review

The built environment plays a vital role in supporting physical and emotional health, especially in healing spaces.Emerging interdisciplinary research shows that experiences in healing spaces can reduce stress and tension, thereby improving emotional well-being.This study proposes a structure to analyze and explain how healing spaces promote emotional regulation in patients by examining the impact of architectural features on emotional regulation in patients with mood disorders.Articles were searched on Scopus, Web of Science, and SciELO, including papers published between June 2015 and July 2023 in English.Articles were screened according to the inclusion criteria, and a narrative discussion was provided.After screening and assessing the quality of article content, 22 articles were selected for analysis.The analysis identified the key mechanisms by which healing spaces promote emotional regulation -healing structures -and categorized them into three main structures: (a) safety for physical and mental development; (b) functionality to support the healing process; (c) ambiance to promote emotional comfort.Space cannot directly cure patients with emotional disorders, but architectural space created through healing structures can effectively elicit patients' emotional responses, accelerate the speed of recovery, and thus realize the purpose of space for emotional therapy.