Longer life expectancy and global population growth result in new environmental demands to meet different material and psychological needs across the lifespan. Since the physical environment is a fundamental factor in the quality of life, here we investigated which different indoor features (i.e., colors, materials/textures) have the most positive impact on individuals in terms of emotional reactions and whether these reactions could vary with age. Four groups of participants (i.e., younger adults, adults, middle-aged, elderly, age range 19–86 years) were presented with pictures of five different rooms: (1) Modern (white and cold colors with good-quality essential coverings); (2) Basic (white and blue colors; plastic and metal furniture); (3) Vivacious (red, blue, and green elements; soft-textured materials); (4) Comfort (different shades of blue and green; velvet coverings); (5) Nature (brown, orange, and green colors; wood furniture and leather coverings). Participants underwent a six-item questionnaire evaluating their positive and negative reactions to each image. The results showed a more positive evaluation of nature and vivacious rooms than all others. In turn, basic and modern rooms evoked more negative emotions than all others. Aged-related emotional reactions emerged, with the elderly appearing to be more inclined to rely on features, such as colors and covering materials, for the affective evaluation of the environment compared to adults and middle-aged adults. These preliminary results support the need for human-centered design approaches to improve well-being across the lifespan.

Investigations into children’s perception and acceptance of new technologies, including voice chatbots, robots, and virtual agents, represent an emerging and rapidly expanding field of academic research. These interactive dialogue systems offer new opportunities in various settings (e.g., educational, therapeutic, and health settings) by providing innovative tools to improve the effectiveness of interactions and overall well-being. This study investigates children’s preferences for eight virtual agents: four with natural human voices (one adult male, one adult female, one boy, and one girl) and four with synthetic voices matching the same age and gender distribution. A sample of 132 children aged between 4 and 10 years (excluding 6-year-olds) was divided into four age groups to assess whether preferences change with development. Results suggest that younger children showed no clear preference between natural and synthetic voices in terms of interaction. In contrast, older children displayed a stronger preference for natural voices, likely due to their engaging qualities. While no significant differences in voice quality were noted among younger children, older children favored natural adult voices, which they perceived as clearer and more trustworthy.