COSMITO

1. How to stimulate human perceptual systems during PRIC to effectively mitigate psychological impacts?

2.  Which environmental elements can be synergized to design nurturing habitats, despite PRIC?

1. Develop a reliable and autonomous aid to enhance mental well-being for individuals in required IC.

2.  Integrate environmental design, psychology, and biotechnology to generate new knowledge for enhancing mental well-being. 

3. Deepen the understanding of humanity's intrinsic connection to nature and its positive effects on mental health and the human psyche, both on Earth and in outer space.

Secondary Data Analysis:   Review previous space missions’ psychological interventions, coping mechanisms for PRIC, human and plant sensory experiments, and biogenic compounds known to modulate affective and stress-regulatory neural pathways. 

Primary Data Collection / Experimentation: 

1.   Observe and quantify human–environment interactions, focusing on how healthy adult participants respond to bio-designed indoor environments and structured well-being routines during PRIC. 

2.    Adapt an existing FDA-cleared wearable system to monitor sleep architecture, autonomic function (heart rate, heart rate variability, respiration), and EEG-equivalent biomarkers, and assess their relationship to cognitive performance and cognitive decline during PRIC exposure in healthy adult participants.  

Translational Application: Develop a biotech psychological system that functions as both an autonomous mental health monitor and a therapeutic ally, providing real-time guidance to support astronauts’ mental well-being during long-duration space missions. 

• Complex Systems Thinking: Analyzes interactions between humans and their environments, biophilic elements, and cognitive supports, uncovering patterns and strategies to enhance resilience and mental health.
   
• Biophilia: Highlights how exposure to natural elements positively influences cognitive, psychological, and physiological well-being.
  
• Environmental Psychology: Explores how physical and sensory environments impact emotions, cognition, and behavior, guiding the design of space habitats to boost resilience and adaptation.
  
• Neurobiological Mechanisms of Trauma Resilience : Investigates neural pathways involved in stress regulation and emotional processing to inform the development of interventions for preparing healthy individuals for prolonged isolation and confinement.
   
• Robotic Biomorphism: Applies biomorphic design principles to electronic and robotic systems to emulate natural forms and interactions, reducing stress and fostering connection in isolated and confined environments.

Mixed Methods + Phased Approach with Integration of Primary and Secondary Data Collection

My methodology follows a mixed-methods, phased approach, integrating both qualitative and quantitative data from primary and secondary sources. Primary data will be collected through a series of experiments designed to assess human sensorial perception of biophilic stimuli and interactions, with the goal of identifying the most effective sensory combinations for countermeasure design. Data integration will occur concurrently, as both qualitative and quantitative data will be gathered during experimental sessions. To enhance the validity of the findings, I will apply triangulation during the post-analysis phase.

The phased approach includes:

• Data Collection
   
• Data Analysis
   
• Synthesis and Reporting
   

To structure the experimental design, I am employing a complex systems thinking framework to map interdependencies between biophilic stimuli and human sensorial perception. In parallel, I am developing a morphological chart to systematically explore and refine variable combinations, ensuring a comprehensive approach to testing biophilic countermeasures.

These tools are continually informed by insights from secondary data, including literature reviews and existing research on biophilic interactions, guiding both the selection of experimental conditions and the integration of qualitative and quantitative findings.

Is the interdisciplinary study of the dynamic interactions between individuals and their built and natural environments. It explores how settings influence human behavior, emotions, and well-being, and how in turn, people shape those environments. According to Gifford (2014), environmental psychology addresses issues ranging from proenvironmental behavior and place attachment to the psychological impact of virtual and physical spaces. As people spend increasing amounts of time in artificial or confined environments, understanding how environmental features influence cognitive and emotional states has become essential for designing spaces that support mental health and resilience.

This field offers critical insights for developing sensory-driven biophilic interventions, particularly for individuals in isolated environments such as space habitats, long-term care facilities, or solitary workspaces. Gifford emphasizes that nature-based elements can restore attention and reduce stress, but also notes that their effects are not universally positive or automatic, they depend on context, design, and individual differences. He argues for a complex systems approach to environmental interventions, calling for greater integration of psychological theory, design strategy, and behavioral data (Gifford, 2014). By combining complex systems thinking, morphological analysis, and real-time sensing, I seek to operationalize these insights to design responsive environments that enhance mental resilience and foster emotional connection through carefully tailored sensorial cues.

Represents a transformative approach in the study of interventions for trauma-related psychological disorders. Unlike traditional pharmacological treatments that primarily target symptom suppression, certain emerging compounds under investigation facilitate states of enhanced emotional openness, trust, and self-reflection, allowing individuals to engage more deeply with therapeutic or resilience-building processes. Clinical research has demonstrated that, when administered in controlled settings, these compounds can reduce stress-related symptoms with sustained effects (Bedi, 2022). Increasingly, such compounds are viewed not as standalone treatments, but as catalysts that support emotional processing and long-term adaptation when combined with structured therapeutic or supportive frameworks.

The potential efficacy of these compounds appears to stem from their unique neurochemical profiles: modulating serotonin, dopamine, and oxytocin signaling while influencing activity in brain regions involved in fear and emotional regulation, such as the amygdala (Bedi, 2022). . Importantly, the individual’s mindset and environmental context, often referred to as “set and setting”, play a critical role in shaping outcomes, underscoring the influence of context in compound-assisted interventions. This interplay between mental state, environment, and adaptive processing directly informs my exploration of how sensorially designed environments might serve as an environmental scaffold for emotional regulation and resilience in isolated or confined settings. By understanding how these compounds influence neural pathways associated with stress, fear, and emotional processing, I aim to translate these insights into non-pharmacological interventions such as biogenic compounds, plant-based volatiles, or sensory-rich habitat design that can support mental well-being and cognitive performance without exposing individuals to psychoactive drugs.