When I first heard about the improvisation (即兴表演) classes, I was uncertain about whether to sign up. As a very shy person, I ______ getting on stage and acting in front of strangers. However, I knew I wanted to work as a science communicator after graduating, so it seemed like the perfect opportunity to improve my speaking ability and build confidence. I signed up, knowing the ______ would take me well outside my comfort zone.

During our first class, we learned an important idea of improvisation: “yes, and.” It means that we accept what other performers say. If someone says that monkeys are librarians, for example, then monkeys are librarians. We do not ______ the logic (逻辑); we say “yes” and continue with the scene (场景) as if nothing is wrong.

To do this effectively, our teacher warned us that we’d have to avoid second-guessing ourselves. Sometimes scenes go in unexpected directions. The best improvisation happens when performers stay open to ______ possibilities and say whatever comes into their minds.

I got a taste of the ______ when acting out my first scene. However, as weeks turned into months, I became more comfortable and even started to enjoy our classes. I also became better at listening, relating to my partners, and communicating clearly.

That training came in handy two weeks ago, when I was giving a speech about my science. A student surprised me with a question that came out of nowhere. Instead of getting nervous, I used the “yes, and” method—______ the question at face value and letting my mind focus on why it was asked. That helped me stay calm and finally find a proper answer.

The benefits of improvisation go beyond communication. Early on in school, I would get stuck when ______ data was produced in my experiments; my inner critic would suppose I had made a mistake. But now, after using the “yes, and” method, I no longer go into an experiment thinking that I already know the story my data are going to tell.

This lesson can ______ all scientists. If the data say monkeys are librarians, then it’s worth studying whether monkeys are, in fact, librarians. Our job as scientists isn’t to produce data that support a story that we already know. Our job is to say “yes, and”.

What do table football, a Barbie’s house and a toy car all have in common? They are all much smaller than real things. Humans have long been interested in miniature (微小) things. The fashion, marketing, and the design industry all use miniature one way or another, and the public seems to love it. This is the effect of cuteness psychology (心理).

The psychology of cuteness is the idea that seeing something small and cute encourages connecting behaviors and the need to take care of it and protect it. However, our attraction to small objects isn’t fully a result of a strong hope to act as a parent. More recent research has shown that our feeling to cuteness isn’t necessarily related to some kind of inborn need to be taken care of, but rather more of a general, positive feeling that can influence how we socially interact with other people.

Seeing tiny things, humans or animals gives off dopamine (多巴胺), which is involved with forming emotional connections. When the body gives off dopamine, it makes us feel in love with the object we are attracted to. “The human brain is designed to love cute, small things by awarding us with dopamine to make sure we will love our tiny babies. This protects their survival and, in turn, the survival of we humans,” says Sam Von Reiche, a psychologist in New Jersey.

Meanwhile, small things bring back the comfort of childhood. In times of stress, we return to things that gave us comfort at an early age. It doesn’t need to be the exact toy we played with as a child, or even a toy at all. It could be a miniature model of a thing. We connect tiny objects with the safety and comfort they brought us in an earlier time in our lives.

Some people may be interested in miniatures because they don’t have the money to get real-life ones. While we might not be able to own an expensive race car, a miniature copy can offer unbelievable emotional awards. Certain tiny objects from one’s travels, for example, a tiny Eiffel Tower can bring a sense of connection to important life stories and the people who have shared our journey.

Depending on one’s needs, a miniature object can bring a sense of pleasure, satisfaction, and even emotional comfort.

The idea is not new that the spaces we live and work in influence our feelings and behaviours. Winston Churchill noted: “We shape our buildings and then our buildings shape us.” Buildings and the city environment have been found to influence our general emotion and wellbeing.

Architects (建筑师) have often been focused on their imagination and design above how a space may influence its residents (居住者). However, there are a number of architects moving in a new direction, interested in creating people-centred building designs.

Research carried out by Colin Ellard of the University of Waterloo, Canada, has found that people are often strongly affected by building appearance. Complex (复杂的) and interesting appearance design influences people much more positively than simple design.

Many studies have shown the value of green space and woodland in a city environment and how they can help to reduce the stress that comes with city life. The visual (视觉的) complexity of green spaces plays into Ellard’s theory that the human brain prefers complex and lively environment. Another study in Iceland in 2023 found that streets which vary because of their architecture were the most emotionally pleasant. This all leads to the idea that we want variation in our environments.

Another research has shown that growing up in an city environment can double a person’s chance of developing problems such as worry. It shows that the stress of city life is something that needs to be considered and new spaces should be designed with stress management and wellness in mind.

It would be wrong to say style isn’t important. We want things which look fantastic as well as work practically, but things can go wrong and influence us negatively if style becomes more important than the building itself. Architects who want to show their skills must consider the purpose of the building. For example, schools should look bright with open spaces, green areas and comfortable corners for reading and learning.

No one wants a building to create bad feelings. If we can create spaces which appeal to residents, as well as achieving their purpose, then the end result is much more satisfying and much more likely to stand the test of time. Our cities are set to grow year on year with no end in sight, so we should make sure new development s are built more with people in mind.

Smarter libraries deliver greater knowledge

How long does it take a reader to get a book after placing an order in a library of over 8 million? The answer from a new library in the east of Beijing is less than 15 minutes.

Beijing Library has become a popular place since it opened in December last year. It received over 80,000 visits during the three-day New Year holiday. Book lovers are attracted not only by the library’s building design, which looks like a reading space under big ginkgo trees, but also by its huge collection of books and smart services.

Covering some 75,000m², Beijing Library houses over 8 million books. The towering stacks (书库) on the library’s basement floor helps its big amount of books. They are part of the largest single automated storage and retrieval system (自动化仓库), also known as AS/RS, for books in China.

The stacks have a total storage area of less than 3,000m², yet they can store over 7 million books because of their special design. In addition to the stacks, the smart system includes various types of smart equipment like robots, which enable book delivery.

The AS/RS works like the smart brain of the library, enabling highly efficient services. Beijing Library is not alone in using AS/RS. The Suzhou No.2 Library, which opened in late 2019, was the first Chinese library to use it.

“Because more local governments place enriching cultural life high on their work list, we are seeing more public libraries introduce the AS/RS,” says Shi Qi, manager of the AS/RS business unit.

To make borrowing books easier, visitors to Beijing Library can sign up for a borrowing service with facial recognition and other technologies. A digital guide at the library’s entrance also offers interactions with visitors if needed.

Readers who don’t want to travel to the library can use the online borrowing service, which will deliver the book to their doorstep. The library’s online borrowing service is open to readers not only in Beijing but also in neighboring Tianjin and Hebei province.

“It’s quite a refreshing experience to visit the library,” says a middle school student. “The books here enrich your mind, and some of the smart services here can blow your mind.”