The Anthropocene and the Responsibility of Environmental Design

“If humans control the environment, do we also control cognition?”

For most of human evolutionary history, our development was influenced by the environment. Natural selection honed cognitive traits in response to survival challenges, social interactions, and resource acquisition. But now, in the Anthropocene—the current era marked by human dominance—this dynamic has reversed. The environment we’ve created is now impacting how our brains develop. As these environmental factors influence cognitive balance, contemporary changes—like urbanization, increased screen time, dietary choices, and standardized education—are transforming our cognition in ways we are only just starting to understand. The essential question has shifted from whether we influence our cognition to whether we should do so intentionally.

In the last hundred years, significant changes in everyday life have transformed our sensory and cognitive experiences. The rise of urban living and indoor activities has diminished our contact with natural settings and decreased physical exercise, potentially affecting our cognitive adaptability, emotional management, and autonomic stability. Furthermore, the prevalence of screens and constant digital stimuli has led to an overwhelming flow of fast-paced, fragmented information, which can contribute to heightened reactivity in the sympathetic nervous system and promote attention patterns similar to those observed in ADHD.

Standardised education systems that emphasise early structured learning, limit free play, and adopt a one-size-fits-all curriculum may encourage certain cognitive styles while hindering others. Diets prevalent in industrialised societies, rich in inflammatory and nutrient-deficient foods, might be leading to cognitive inflammation, altering neurodevelopmental pathways towards anxiety and rigidity. These influences are not neutral; they actively determine which cognitive traits prosper and which become less effective. The increasing occurrence of neurodivergent conditions, particularly ADHD,…