The Influence of Fonts on Human Information Processing Speed

Abstract

In this study, we examined the effect of the emotional impression of a font on the speed of information processing. First, suitable fonts were identified for each emotion, and then a reaction time measurement experiment using PsychoPy was conducted. The results showed that reaction time was reduced for “anger,” “fear,” and “surprise” when the font and word emotion matched. On the other hand, for “joy” and “sadness,” the effect of the word's cognitive difficulty was suggested. These results indicate the importance of font selection in visual information processing.