How brands can help the human mind adapt to our new, more physically disconnected world. Words by Crawford Hollingworth and Liz Barker of The Behavioural Architects

Part one: bridging the forced physical void in social interactions

In this article we look at how the ‘physical void’ created by the Covid-19 pandemic – firstly, the loss of physical social connection, touch and closeness, and secondly, more multisensory, in-store purchase experiences - may be accelerating us toward alternative solutions and experiences. Behavioural science and psychology illustrate how multisensory experiences actually augment our experience so that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts, making them more emotive and memorable, or easier to navigate and respond to. The last few months have seen an intense ‘physical void’ thrust upon us. Whilst we have been able to hear and see, we have been unable to touch others or even come physically close enough to feel ‘in their presence’. We’ve also been limited in where we can go and what we can do, resulting in a greatly reduced...