Effects of particulate air pollution on visual aesthetic preference

摘要

Prior studies mainly focused on the effects of particulate air pollution on physiological health, relatively few researchers paid attention to psychological well-being. There is lacuna of knowledge on the effects of air pollution on aesthetic preferences. To fill this gap this study examines ten sample sites of urban green space, and eight photographs were taken on each site (seven photographs on the tenth site) in eight days, respectively. These photographs on a site contained the same scene. The aesthetic preference and perceived air quality of the photographs were evaluated by 766 participants, and wind speed, amount of clouds in the sky, particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10) of each site were measured in situ when the photographs were taken. The results suggest that: (a) percentage of sky covered by cloud, PM2.5 and PM10 have significantly negative correlations with aesthetic preference and perceived air quality, while the regression analysis indicates that percentage of sky covered by cloud is the sole predictor for both aesthetic preference and perceived air quality; (b) perceived air quality is the reliable predictor of aesthetic preference. These findings contribute new knowledge to understand the particulate air pollution's effect on psychological well-being.