Research on Aesthetic Preferences for Transparency and Glossiness in Optical Phenomena-Focused on Evolutionary Aesthetics-

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

Transparency and glossiness are optical properties that are usually associated with each other, and both of these physical characteristics can influence people’s aesthetic experiences. Visuals, products, architecture, and spatial design that possess transparency and glossiness are generally viewed positively. This article analyzes how visual processing of optical properties is based on optical theory and explains how aesthetic preferences for transparency and glossiness, as defined optically, operate from an evolutionary aesthetic perspective. This research suggests that the aesthetic preference for glossiness may stem from a desire for clear water, which can be inferred from the shimmering on the water’s surface. Furthermore, the preference for transparency may be rooted in the selection of ripe fruits from translucent visual stimuli, possibly associated with an increase in sweetness resulting from the breakdown of polysaccharides. Additionally, the study finds that the degree of transparency and glossiness can influence aesthetic preferences. To validate this point, behavioral experiments on preferences for transparency and glossiness were conducted. Behavioral analysis of the participants in the experiments revealed that aesthetic preferences for transparency and glossiness are widespread, with higher transparency and a clearer gloss eliciting stronger aesthetic preference responses. This suggests that the most pronounced aesthetic preference responses occur when high transparency and a bright gloss work together. The goal of this study is to explore the structure of aesthetic preference responses for transparency and glossiness, validate them behaviorally, and discover further combinations of transparency and glossiness levels, as well as the ways in which these two visual stimuli induce aesthetic preferences, to provide a theoretical basis for design applications.