‘Touch hunger’ was found to be a prominent concern, which makes sense as the skin is our largest sense organ, accounting for 16 percent of body mass — and one that needs to be stimulated.

Technology is often referenced as over-stimulating our sense of sight and sound, leaving consumers disconnected from emotional senses like smell, touch and taste. Spence says, “People talk about too much information, too many notifications, too much audio and visual stimulation. They talk about sensory overload but it’s actually a sensory imbalance.”

Interestingly, it is the emotional senses that seem to be most affected by social restrictions associated with the pandemic. ‘Touch hunger’ was found to be a prominent concern, which makes sense as the skin is our largest sense organ, accounting for 16 percent of body mass — and one that needs to be stimulated.

Another way to ‘sense-hack’ our living spaces with more time spent at home is to bring nature inside through plants, natural soundscapes and even digital nature.

Another way to ‘sense-hack’ our living spaces with more time spent at home is to bring nature inside through plants, natural soundscapes and even digital nature. “When you look at nature, there’s a kind of fractal pattern — it’s the same thing but at different scales, which makes it more predictable. That’s the sight of nature mostly but I’m also interested in the sounds and smells. What the research shows is that these ambient scents are more powerful when we’re feeling stressed and uncertain.”

How will you be more mindful of your senses going forward to achieve optimum wellness?