Can Feng Shui Be Scientifically Researched?
Laura Cerrano
A new question being asked amongst the Feng Shui community is, can the practice of Feng Shui be scientifically studied to prove it offers any benefits?
The base understanding of what Feng Shui is and how to utilize it tends to present itself in seemingly confusing and at times, complex ways. This is due to the constant evolution of the practice in how it’s utilized, paired with cultural and societal cross-pollination. Below lists the most commonly referenced Feng Shui methods out there to date.
Compass Method
Form School
BTB Feng Shui
Flying Stars
I-Ching
Humbly, I offer this perspective to help sum up the various methods. Feng Shui is a holistic practice that encourages people to live a happy, healthy and balanced lifestyle.
In regard to any research that has been done to study the benefits of Feng Shui, there is not much out there. I did see articles in Science Magazine and Jstor.org. Yet, respectfully, they fall more into the arena of comparison vs establishing standardized quantifiable Feng Shui questions and testing procedures.
However, I did come across one Feng Shui scientific article referenced in Kmpdi.com, posted in 2019. These studies seemed to offer a more thought out and structured attempt to evaluate Feng Shui scientifically. The main Feng Shui method utilized in the studies was the form school in feng shui thoughts blended with the green building assessment system practices to evaluate both micro-climate and topography. In short, the studies did recognize benefits from an ecological perspective. However, there needs to still be many more studies that can be easily replicated and peer reviewed by trusted scientific journals.
A Thought for Scientific Feng Shui Research…..
It would be really interesting to see if the practice of Feng Shui could affect the physiological and neurological components of humans.
What alternative healing practice has broken the barriers between pseudo-science to real science?
That would be, meditation. Most research conducted to investigate the benefits has come from functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), which takes pictures of the brain and records brain activity during the scan. One study on meditation in particular that caught my attention was recognized by Harvard Medical School in 2012.
Gaëlle Desbordes [an instructor in radiology at HMS and a neuroscientist at MGH’s] “took before-and-after fMRI scans of subjects who learned to meditate over the course of two months. She scanned them not while they were meditating, but while they were performing daily tasks. The results demonstrated that changes in brain activity within subjects who have learned to meditate held steady, even when they’re not meditating.” [1]
In layman terms, the accumulation of practicing meditation helped the subjects to better regulate their emotions and thoughts, which reduced their ‘fight and flight’ reactions, allowing for lower stress levels and increased immune systems to which support healthier bodies.
Possibilities for future studies with feng shui….
Perhaps a scientific evaluation of Feng Shui could be adapted from Desbordes approach of research. Feng Shui also requires time to learn, time to implement changes within the living environment, and time to maintain a healthy and balanced practice of conscious living.
Who could be some possible collaborative experts to help configure studies on Feng Shui?
Environmental Psychologist (which many of the EP principles cross paths with traditional Feng Shui principles that have been adapted to modern day living)
Ecologist
Neuroscientists
Biophilia Researchers
Feng Shui Consultants coming together from various practices to agree on standardized core principles that can offer the scientific community an easier way to study Feng Shui.
Or, maybe Feng Shui requires a integrative approach such as with Quantum Mechanics. Questions upon questions.
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