Abstract Book of the 9th World Conference on Social Sciences
Year: 2025
[PDF]
Everyday Aesthetics of Shape Choice: Impact of Personality, Expertise, And Contextual Preferences
Soham Mallick, Soham Mallick, Priyadarshi Patnaik and Junmoni Borgohain
ABSTRACT:
Research on shape choices across domains reports evidence of a common preference for curves. Previous studies suggest a strong correlation between personality, expertise, and context in shape choice. However, objects of everyday use, especially in terms of shape preference, have been underexplored. The current study aims to explore the preference for everyday objects, especially in terms of various geometric shapes, taking into consideration artists vs. the general population, considering personality differences, and public vs. private contexts. The study was conducted on 91 artists and 60 general participants, with four everyday objects: a clock, a coffee mug, a lampshade, and a teapot, presented in various geometric shapes. Respondents were also asked for shape choices and to rate the objects in terms of various parameters, including aesthetics, utility, and comfort, for decision choices. Quantitative methods were used to analyze the results. Findings, consistent with earlier research, indicated a general preference for curvature, particularly in circular and oval objects. Circular shapes were highly preferred for clocks, coffee mugs, and teapots, while oval-shaped objects were preferred for lampshades. While choice differences between groups were not significant, it was found that in a public context, participants preferred oval shapes, while rhombuses were more preferred in a private context. Openness to experience was higher among the general population compared to the artist group, while conscientiousness was associated with artists. Finally, shape choices were found to be determined by perceived attributes and varied significantly based on the nature of objects. Findings provide insights for product designs.
Keywords: Context, Everyday object, Expertise, Shape preference, Personality