This was covered in "A Pattern Language" decades ago, under Ceiling Height Variety: > the mere fact that the ceiling heights vary, allows people to move from h

This was covered in "A Pattern Language" decades ago, under Ceiling Height Variety: > the mere fact that the ceiling heights vary, allows people to move from high rooms to low rooms, and vice versa, according to the degree of intimacy they seek — because they know that everyone correlates intimacy with ceiling height. > According to this theory, the effect of the ceiling height is not direct; there is instead a complex interaction between people and space, in which people read the different ceiling heights in a building as messages, and take up positions according to these messages. They are comfortable or uncomfortable according to whether they can take part in this process, and can then feel secure in the knowledge that they have chosen a place of appropriate intimacy.