The Application of Liminal Space Aesthetics in Building Space for Stress Alleviation among Young Adults

In the modern world, stress often feels like a constant, low-level hum that never quite turns off. For young adults, this pressure is frequently driven by an endless stream of information and the expectation to be available at all times, leaving little room for the mind to rest. Psychologists have long understood that our surroundings shape our internal states. While we know that nature can calm us and that clutter can agitate us, a newer idea has emerged from internet culture and architectural theory: the concept of the "liminal space." These are not places where we live or work, but the thresholds in between—empty hallways, waiting rooms, or transitional zones that feel slightly surreal because they are neither here nor there. Usually, these spaces are associated with a sense of unease or emptiness. However, a group of researchers in Vietnam wondered if these same qualities could be tuned to do the opposite: to act as a quiet sanctuary that helps the brain detach from the noise of daily life and recover.

To test this idea, a team of researchers from the High School for the Gifted in Ho Chi Minh City and the Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology and Education designed a small-scale experiment involving eighteen young adults between the ages of 18 and 22. These participants were experiencing mild to moderate stress but had no history of serious psychiatric conditions. The researchers split them into two groups. One group entered a room designed to be a "liminal space," while the other entered a standard, neutral office room. The liminal room was carefully crafted to feel calm and slightly detached from reality. It featured soft morning sunlight, gentle ambient sounds, open pathways for movement, and tactile materials, all while including green elements to keep the space feeling familiar rather than alien. In contrast, the control room was a typical, orderly office with no special sensory features. Both groups spent twenty minutes in their assigned rooms, with the experimental group allowed to draw or journal quietly if they wished, while the control group simply rested.

Before and after this twenty-minute period, the researchers measured the participants' stress levels using two different methods. They used wrist monitors and finger sensors to track physical signs of stress, such as heart rate, blood pressure, and blood oxygen levels. They also asked the participants to fill out questionnaires that measured how they felt emotionally, specifically looking for signs of calmness, the ability to cope with pressure, and the feeling that their stress was under control. The results showed a clear difference between the two groups. Those who spent time in the liminal space experienced a significant drop in their heart rate and blood pressure, with their bodies showing a steady, consistent relaxation. The group in the standard office showed some changes, but the improvements were smaller and less consistent.

The psychological data told a similar story. Participants in the liminal space reported feeling more capable of handling challenges and less threatened by their stressors. They described a sense of detachment that allowed them to step back from their worries, whereas the control group did not experience this shift to the same degree. The researchers calculated the size of these effects and found that the physical changes were particularly strong, suggesting that the environment had a powerful, immediate impact on the body's stress response. While the study was small and involved only one session, the findings suggest that intentionally designed spaces that embrace the quiet, surreal quality of liminal zones can serve as an effective, passive tool for stress relief. Unlike therapies that require active participation or long-term commitment, this approach offers a way to lower stress simply by being present in a space that feels both familiar and strangely open. The authors propose that such designs could eventually be integrated into schools, offices, and clinics to provide a quick, accessible way for people to reset their minds in the middle of a busy day.