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Writer's pictureKoby Avraham (MA)

How do graphic signs and shapes affect our emotions and mental states?

 



The relationship between graphic signs, shapes, and emotions or mental states is often studied within the field of psychology, specifically in areas such as cognitive psychology, perception, and neuropsychology.

Different shapes and signs can evoke different emotional responses or influence mental states through various mechanisms, including cultural associations, evolutionary factors, and perceptual processes. Here are some academic studies that explore this relationship:

 

1. Geometric Shapes and Emotional Valence:

   - Research by Barrett and Bar (2009) titled "See it with Feeling: Affective Predictions in the Human Brain" discusses how geometric shapes can evoke emotional responses based on their perceived attributes such as symmetry, angularity, and curvature. They found that angular shapes tend to evoke negative emotions, while rounded shapes tend to evoke positive emotions.

 

2. Cultural Influences on Shape Perception:

   - A study by Adams and Kleck (2005) titled "Effects of Direct and Averted Gaze on the Perception of Facially Communicated Emotion" explores how cultural background can influence the interpretation of facial expressions, which can be extended to interpretations of shapes and signs. Cultural norms and learned associations can significantly impact how individuals perceive and interpret different shapes in terms of emotional valence.

 

 

3. Neurological Responses to Shapes:

   - Neuroscientific studies, such as those by Bar and Neta (2007) titled "Visual elements of subjective preference modulate amygdala activation" and Vuilleumier et al. (2004) titled "How brains beware: neural mechanisms of emotional attention," have shown that certain shapes and signs can activate brain regions associated with emotion processing, such as the amygdala. These studies suggest a neural basis for the emotional responses elicited by visual stimuli.

 

 

4. Perceptual Priming and Emotional Associations:

   - A study by Gasper and Clore (2002) titled "Attending to the Big Picture: Mood and Global Versus Local Processing of Visual Information" demonstrates how individuals in different mood states may perceive and interpret visual stimuli differently. Positive or negative mood states can prime individuals to attend to different features of shapes or signs, influencing their emotional response.

 

 

5. Effects of Color and Shape on Emotional Response:

   - Research by Palmer and Schloss (2010) titled "An ecological valence theory of human color preference" explores how color and shape interact to influence emotional responses. They propose an ecological valence theory where color preferences are influenced by evolutionary factors and associations with natural objects, which can extend to shapes as well.

 

These studies provide evidence for the complex relationship between graphic signs, shapes, and emotional or mental states, highlighting the role of various psychological, cultural, and neurological factors in shaping our perceptions and responses to visual stimuli.

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