The relationship between mood and preferences among natural landscapes: An evolutionary perspective

The evolutionary approach to aesthetics contends that psychological responses to stimuli evolved because they contributed to survival and reproduction. Thus, psychological reactions to stimuli can be thought of as motivators of appropriate environment-contingent behavior. We explored this idea by examining the relationship between mood and landscape preference across individuals. We predicted that subjects who reported positive moods (e.g., cheerful, energetic, optimistic) would be motivated to explore, and thus, would prefer landscapes rich in “Prospect” (vast expanses and overviews), while subjects who experienced mood dysphoria (e.g., tense, depressed, fatigued) would be motivated to reduce stress, and thus, prefer landscapes rich in “Refuge” (enclosed, protected spaces). While not all of the predictions were confirmed, in general, landscape preferences were found to relate to mood in the manner predicted. These results suggest that mood can affect aesthetic judgment, and that this effect might be the result of a psychological mechanism evolved to facilitate adaptive behavior.