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The Motive for Sensory Pleasure: Enjoyment of Nature and Its Representation in Painting, Music, and Literature
Author(s) -
Eisenberger Robert,
Sucharski Ivan L.,
Yalowitz Steven,
Kent Robert J.,
Loomis Ross J.,
Jones Jason R.,
Paylor Sarah,
Aselage Justin,
Mueller Meta Steiger,
McLaughlin John P.
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
journal of personality
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.082
H-Index - 144
eISSN - 1467-6494
pISSN - 0022-3506
DOI - 10.1111/j.1467-6494.2010.00628.x
Subject(s) - pleasure , psychology , novelty , clarity , painting , cognitive psychology , aesthetics , sight , construct (python library) , stimulus modality , preference , openness to experience , sensory system , social psychology , visual arts , art , biochemistry , chemistry , physics , astronomy , neuroscience , computer science , microeconomics , economics , programming language
Eight studies assessed the motive for sensory pleasure (MSP) involving a general disposition to enjoy and pursue pleasant nature‐related experiences and avoid unpleasant nature‐related experiences. The stated enjoyment of pleasant sights, smells, sounds, and tactile sensations formed a unitary construct that was distinct from sensation seeking, novelty preference, and need for cognition. MSP was found to be related to (a) enjoyment of pleasant nature scenes and music of high but not low clarity; (b) enjoyment of writings that portrayed highly detailed nature scenes; (c) enjoyment of pleasantly themed paintings and dislike of unpleasant paintings, as distinct from findings with Openness to Experience; (d) choice of pleasant nature scenes over exciting or intellectually stimulating scenes; (e) view duration and memory of artistically rendered quilts; (f) interest in detailed information about nature scenes; and (g) frequency of sensory‐type suggestions for improvement of a museum exhibit.