“Humans Prefer Curved Visual Objects”

Of course when I saw the above headline in the August 2006 issue of Psychological Science: Research, Theory, & Application In Psychology and Related Sciences, I simply had to know more.

The researchers — Moshe Bar and Maital Neta of the Martinos Center at Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School — compiled images of 140 pairs of objects, and another 140 pairs of “meaningless patterns.” They showed these to 14 subjects (all of the human, I suppose), who picked which of each pair of objects they preferred, in sharp v. curved object (or pattern) faceoffs, as well as battles between sharp or curved objects and “control objects” (a great phrase) characterized by “a roughly equal mixture of curved and sharp-angled features.”

The curved objects and patterns dominated!

“It is important to emphasize that there are exceptions,” the researchers note. Example: snakes, which are both curved, and often not liked. But still. Something for you designers to remember. I guess.

Anyway, the researchers have posted their entire catalog of the objects, patterns, and “control objects” here, if you’re curious.