Beyond Vision: A Multisensory and Lifespan Perspective on Restorative Environments

Restorative environment research has established that natural settings can restore reduced cognitive and affective resources, guided primarily by Attention Restoration Theory (ART) and Stress Recovery Theory (SRT). However, three interconnected gaps limit both theoretical progress and practical application. First, existing research has largely emphasized the visual aspect of environmental experience, while the integrative effects of auditory, olfactory, and tactile stimuli on restorative experiences remain underexplored. Second, affective states remain insufficiently integrated as both moderators and mediators of the restorative process, despite growing evidence that emotional responses are central rather than incidental to recovery. Third, current research is largely based on young adult cohorts, ignoring the influence of age-related changes in sensory processing, interoceptive awareness, and emotional appraisal on restorative person-environment interactions. This perspective paper addresses these three gaps by proposing an integrative framework that places multisensory environmental experience, affective processes, and age-related processes as the core of restoration science. Drawing on recent empirical advances, including evidence that older adults prioritize acoustic over visual features in environmental appraisal, we propose five theoretical propositions and present a research agenda relevant to age-inclusive urban design and nature-based interventions.