The human brain is directly affected by its immediete surroundings. Scientists have been studying the affects of open spaces or tight surroundings on the brain and people's emotions. Human beings who have alot of space and are not confined to a tight area appear to feel more secure and are less affected by brain activity. On the other hand, people who are in an enclosed space are have a more exaggerated response to brain activity. when scientists had test subjects read traumatic or extreme things, those who were feeling confined or trapped had a much more intense and extreme response, whereas those at a normal state of mind were nearly unaffected.

In another test, the patients were asked questions regarding the health threats of french fries and chocolate, and brown rice and yogurt. The subjects who were in a mental state of relaxation due to the openeness reasoned that the unhealthiness was the same. Those who where primed thought that the chocolate and french fries had more. Lastly, both sets of test subjects where asked questions about their homes. Those who were primed were anxious, but the others were relaxed and unaffected.

Response:
This article was really interesting because of the way that your mental state actually affects how you react physically. It just proves further that what you think about has a profound affect on who you are, what you do, and who you become. It was also interesting to read just how much the sense of security is involved in the descisions we make and how we react to certain things.
. http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=arranging-for-serenity&page=1