Brain–Environment Rhythmic Coupling: An Interdisciplinary Review of Rhythm Synchronization between the brain and the environment
Abstract
Rhythm is a fundamental aspect of both architectural design and brain–body dynamics, yet research across these domains remains fragmented and largely descriptive. The absence of a shared conceptual framework limits systematic investigation of how architectural rhythms interact with human brain–body dynamics and may influence cognition and behavior. Drawing on enactivism and the concept of natural attunement, we propose that movement through patterned spaces may convert spatial organization, such as repeated forms, geometric intervals, and variations in light, into temporally structured sensory input. Neuroscience studies have shown that sub-second, strictly periodic sensory stimulation can produce phase-consistent neural responses under restricted laboratory conditions. However, it remains unknown whether repeated, aperiodic, or movement-dependent architectural structures generate comparable temporal organization in neural activity during active navigation. We therefore hypothesize that temporally structured environmental input may align with ongoing neural and bodily activity, a process we refer to as brain–environment rhythmic coupling. To better understand this hypothesis, we first propose a structured vocabulary that classifies architectural rhythms according to their structural complexity, spatiotemporal arrangement, and constituent visual elements, with particular emphasis on visuomotor rhythms. We then consider candidate mechanisms that may support this coupling, including magnocellular processing, stimulus-locked responses, phase resetting, and, under restricted conditions, neural entrainment. By integrating insights from architecture, neuroscience, and cognitive science, this paper proposes a conceptual framework that positions rhythm as a bridge between built environments and brain–body dynamics, while providing a basis for future empirical research on design, action, cognition, and well-being.
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BibTeX
@misc{behzadi2026brainenvironment,
title = {{Brain–Environment Rhythmic Coupling: An Interdisciplinary Review of Rhythm Synchronization between the brain and the environment}},
author = {Farzaneh Behzadi and Amir Kalantarifard and Dylan Chau Huynh and Lars Brorson Fich and Aja Khalid Hussein and Zakaria Djebbara},
howpublished = {PsyArXiv},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.31234/osf.io/2gc6d_v1},
url = {https://osf.io/preprints/psyarxiv/2gc6d_v1/},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Brain–Environment Rhythmic Coupling: An Interdisciplinary Review of Rhythm Synchronization between the brain and the environment
AU - Farzaneh Behzadi
AU - Amir Kalantarifard
AU - Dylan Chau Huynh
AU - Lars Brorson Fich
AU - Aja Khalid Hussein
AU - Zakaria Djebbara
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/23
PB - PsyArXiv
DO - 10.31234/osf.io/2gc6d_v1
UR - https://osf.io/preprints/psyarxiv/2gc6d_v1/
AB - Rhythm is a fundamental aspect of both architectural design and brain–body dynamics, yet research across these domains remains fragmented and largely descriptive. The absence of a shared conceptual framework limits systematic investigation of how architectural rhythms interact with human brain–body dynamics and may influence cognition and behavior. Drawing on enactivism and the concept of natural attunement, we propose that movement through patterned spaces may convert spatial organization, such as repeated forms, geometric intervals, and variations in light, into temporally structured sensory input. Neuroscience studies have shown that sub-second, strictly periodic sensory stimulation can produce phase-consistent neural responses under restricted laboratory conditions. However, it remains unknown whether repeated, aperiodic, or movement-dependent architectural structures generate comparable temporal organization in neural activity during active navigation. We therefore hypothesize that temporally structured environmental input may align with ongoing neural and bodily activity, a process we refer to as brain–environment rhythmic coupling. To better understand this hypothesis, we first propose a structured vocabulary that classifies architectural rhythms according to their structural complexity, spatiotemporal arrangement, and constituent visual elements, with particular emphasis on visuomotor rhythms. We then consider candidate mechanisms that may support this coupling, including magnocellular processing, stimulus-locked responses, phase resetting, and, under restricted conditions, neural entrainment. By integrating insights from architecture, neuroscience, and cognitive science, this paper proposes a conceptual framework that positions rhythm as a bridge between built environments and brain–body dynamics, while providing a basis for future empirical research on design, action, cognition, and well-being.
ER -