Editorial: comfort and discomfort studies demonstrate the need for a new model

Appl Ergon. 2012 Mar;43(2):271-6. doi: 10.1016/j.apergo.2011.06.001. Epub 2011 Jul 2.

Abstract

The term comfort is often seen relating to the marketing of products like chairs, cars, clothing, hand tools and even airplane tickets, while in the scientific literature, the term discomfort shows up often, since it is used in research. Few papers explain the concept of a localized comfort experience in relation to product use, although people use these products daily. Therefore, in this special issue, the concept of product comfort is studied further. In this editorial an overview of comfort models has been made, evaluated with the papers from the special issue and a new comfort/discomfort model is proposed to increase our understanding of the factors influencing comfort and discomfort experiences.

Publication types

  • Editorial
  • Introductory Journal Article

MeSH terms

  • Concept Formation*
  • Ergonomics*
  • Humans
  • Models, Theoretical*
  • Pain*
  • Research