Ledneva Tatiana, Myachykov Andriy, Shtyrov Yury
Institute for Cognitive Neuroscience, HSE University, Moscow, Russia.
Center for Cognitive and Brain Sciences, University of Macau, Taipa, China.
Front Psychol. 2025 Jul 10;16:1578785. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1578785. eCollection 2025.
Surface neatness is a fundamental yet underexplored determinant of the aesthetic evaluation of everyday objects. While prior research has typically examined individual surface features - such as gloss, shine, dirt, or scratches - in isolation, the holistic impact of surface neatness has received little systematic attention.
In this study, participants viewed images of objects from five categories (household items, tools, personal use items, stationery, and kitchen utensils), each presented in three surface conditions: untidy (displaying mechanical and hygienic defects), neutral (without visible defects), and neat (exhibiting gloss and cleanliness). For each object, participants provided a preference rating reflecting their aesthetic evaluation.
Analysis revealed a robust effect of surface neatness on aesthetic preference: objects in the untidy condition consistently received the lowest ratings, while neat surfaces were rated most attractive. The differences between all surface conditions were statistically significant.
These results demonstrate that surface neatness is a dynamic and salient factor shaping the perceived value and desirability of everyday objects. The findings underscore the need for more rigorous operationalization of surface properties in empirical research on human-object interaction and suggest practical applications for product design, consumer psychology, and sustainable practices, where surface conditions directly influence aesthetic experience and object appeal.
表面整洁度是日常物品美学评价中一个基本但未被充分探索的决定因素。虽然先前的研究通常单独考察个体表面特征，如光泽、亮度、污垢或划痕，但表面整洁度的整体影响很少受到系统关注。
在本研究中，参与者观看了五类物品（家居用品、工具、个人用品、文具和厨房用具）的图片，每种物品呈现三种表面状态：不整洁（显示机械和卫生缺陷）、中性（无可见缺陷）和整洁（呈现光泽和清洁）。对于每件物品，参与者给出反映其美学评价的偏好评分。
分析显示表面整洁度对美学偏好有显著影响：处于不整洁状态的物品始终获得最低评分，而整洁表面被评为最具吸引力。所有表面状态之间的差异具有统计学意义。
这些结果表明，表面整洁度是塑造日常物品感知价值和吸引力的一个动态且显著的因素。研究结果强调在人类与物品交互的实证研究中，需要对表面属性进行更严格的操作化，并为产品设计、消费者心理学和可持续实践提出了实际应用建议，其中表面状态直接影响美学体验和物品吸引力。
