The influence of background objects on unpleasantness evoked by "Hasu-colla" (lotus-heads-on-the-living-body) images

Abstract

 It is known that "Hasu-colla" (lotus-heads-on- the-living-body) images can evoke strong unpleasantness in viewers, and it can be a problem in graphic and interaction design. We measured unpleasantness evoked by "Hasu-colla" images by subjective rating. The results showed that lotus on the body of humans and living animals evoked more unpleasantness than lotus presented alone, and the effect became stronger on animal face than human face. Psychological distance to the background objects may partially explain the results.