Esther Sternberg: From Immune Response to Healing Spaces - The Science of Well-Being - #99
In this landmark episode, we sit down with Dr. Esther Sternberg, a professor of medicine, scientist, and internationally recognized pioneer in the science of mind-body interaction, healing spaces, and the role of place in well-being.
Dr. Sternberg's groundbreaking work has influenced how we think about healthy buildings today. Her books—Healing Spaces, The Balance Within, and Well at Work—have become foundational texts for architects, designers, and health professionals seeking to create environments that don't just do no harm, but actively support human flourishing.
The Central Question:
There's a critical difference between designing spaces to do no harm and designing spaces to support well-being. We have the tools and knowledge to ensure clean air, excellent ventilation, and non-toxic materials—but what about resilience? What about the third leg of the stool: our own capacity to thrive, perform, and heal?
Key Topics Discussed:
From Immune Response to Environment: Dr. Sternberg's remarkable journey from studying brain-immune connections in rats to discovering how the built environment shapes stress, performance, and health—starting with a single patient and a personal healing experience in Crete.
Spirituality in the Workplace: Why this was the hardest chapter to write in Well at Work, and how concepts like flow, focus, rituals, and going offline are essential—not fringe—elements of peak performance and well-being.
The Stress-Performance Rainbow: Understanding the relationship between stress and flow. Why the goal is not to eliminate stress, but to find your "middle of the rainbow"—where focus, energy, and performance peak without burnout.
Agency and Control: Why giving people choices—over light, sound, temperature, and workspace—is one of the most powerful levers for reducing stress and enhancing resilience. The fighter pilot analogy that explains it all.
The Seven Domains of Integrative Health: Sleep, stress and relaxation response, environment, movement, relationships, spirituality, and nutrition—and how each can be embedded into the design and operation of buildings.
The GSA Studies: How wearable health devices and continuous environmental monitoring revealed the precise conditions—decibel levels, humidity ranges, light exposure—that optimize health, reduce stress, and improve sleep quality in office workers.
Healing Spaces and Virtual Nature: From hospital rooms in Dublin to immersive nature experiences with Studio Elsewhere—how technology and thoughtful design can bring restorative environments to those who need them most.
The Contrarian Path: Dr. Sternberg's story of fighting scientific dogma, being denied promotion for work that "had no relevance to human health," and ultimately proving that the brain and immune system are intimately connected—and that place matters profoundly.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/esther-sternberg-m-d-8a957927/
https://esthersternberg.com/
HOST:
Simon Jones: https://www.linkedin.com/in/simon-air-quality-matters/
GUEST:
Dr. Esther Sternberg
The Air Quality Matters Podcast in Partnership with
Zehnder Group -Â Farmwood - Eurovent- Aico - Aereco - Ultra Protect -Â
The One Take Podcast in Partnership with
SafeTraces and Inbiot
Do check them out in the links and on the Air Quality Matters Website.
Chapters
00:00:00 Introduction: Meeting Esther Sternberg and the Science of Well-Being
00:02:04 Beyond Do No Harm: Designing Spaces for Well-Being
00:02:32 The Foundation: Clean Air and the 30-Year Cycle of Recognition
00:07:01 Spirituality in Buildings: Focus, Flow, and Belonging
00:12:36 The Science of Flow: Stress, Performance, and the Rainbow Model
00:21:08 Engineering for Performance: Choice, Movement, and Active Office Design
00:25:56 The Athlete Analogy: Building Resilience Through Strategic Stress
00:29:10 Virtual Nature and Reset Spaces: The 15-Minute Dose Effect
00:34:42 Chronic Stress and Burnout: Why Rest is Not Optional
00:34:01 Sustainability of Flow: Body Chemistry and Time Limits
00:56:49 Control and Agency: The Jet Fighter Pilot Lesson
00:58:44 Circadian Light: From Blue to Red and the Morning Advantage
01:02:15 The Given That Isn't: Why Buildings Still Cause Harm
00:38:32 Community and Belonging: The Antidote to Isolation
00:52:26 Acoustics and Culture: The Surprising Variability of Sound Preferences
01:10:09 The Economic Case: Return on Investment for Well-Being
01:18:42 Dr. Sternberg's Journey: From One Patient to the Built Environment
01:29:21 Fighting Dogma: The Politics of Science and Strategic Credibility
01:40:01 The Crete Revelation: Personal Healing and the Seven Domains
01:44:17 GSA Studies: Measuring the Built Environment's Impact on Health
01:53:22 The Future: From Mandates to Magnetic Spaces
01:55:50 Technology and Innovation: From Dublin to Studio Elsewhere
01:58:35 Closing: Building the Army of Advocates
UK