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Experimental mood manipulation does not induce change in preference for natural landscapes

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Abstract

According to evolutionary theory, emotions are psychological mechanisms that have evolved to enhance fitness in specific situations by motivating appropriate (adaptive) behavior. Taking this perspective, a previous study examined the relationship between mood and preference for natural environments. It reported that participants’ anxiety level was associated with a preference for landscapes offering what Appleton called "refuge," while participants’ anger and cheerfulness were both associated with a preference for landscapes offering what Appleton called "prospect." We attempted to replicate these results and to improve on the study by experimentally manipulating mood. Using a between-subjects design, 80 participants were instructed to self-induce one of four moods: anger, sadness, anxiety, or joy. After the mood induction, they viewed fourteen landscape photographs and recorded the seven most preferred. It was hypothesized that subjects experiencing anger or joy would prefer landscapes rich in "prospect" features, whereas participants experiencing sadness or anxiety would prefer landscapes rich in "refuge" features. In contrast to the previous study, the predictions were not supported: artificially induced moods may not provide ecological validity as a test of the "mood as motivator" model; alternatively, the first study may have reported an alpha error. To see whether the model has practical value, we recommend a study of landscape preference using participants with clinically significant levels of mood dysphoria.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Queensland, Canada

    Bernadette Klopp & Linda Mealey

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  1. Bernadette Klopp
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  2. Linda Mealey
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Additional information

Bernadette Klopp received her B.A. (Honours) in Psychology from the University of Queensland. Her areas of research interest focus on environment and aesthetics, environmental psychology, and the evolution of art as a form of social communication. Bernadette is currently employed by the Commonwealth Rehabilitation Service of Queensland, but she hopes to pursue further graduate study.

Linda Mealey, Ph.D., is just finishing a three-year stint as Senior Lecturer at the School of Psychology, University of Queensland, before returning to her Associate Professor position at the College of St. Benedict in central Minnesota. She is Vice-President/President-Elect of the International Society for Human Ethology, a Councilor of the Human Behavior and Evolution Society, and a member of the editorial board of Politics and the Life Sciences.

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Klopp, B., Mealey, L. Experimental mood manipulation does not induce change in preference for natural landscapes. Hum Nat 9, 391–399 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12110-998-1016-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12110-998-1016-z

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