Environmental Aesthetic Value Influences the Intention for Moral Behavior: Changes in Behavioral Moral Judgment.

Chenjing Wu,Xianyou He

doi:10.3390/ijerph18126477

Abstract

The environment affects moral behavior. Previous research found that a beautiful environment leads to pro-social behavior, which is related to behavioral intention. However, the effect of environmental aesthetic value on immoral and moral behavior remains unclear. Therefore, in the present study, we explored the effect of environmental aesthetic value on behavioral intention and its possible mechanisms. We conducted four experiments. Experiment 1 adopted the priming paradigm and IAT paradigm to explore the relationship between environmental aesthetic value and behavioral intention. It used photographs of the environment as priming stimuli and scene drawings of behavior as target stimuli. The results showed that participants had a higher intention to engage in moral behavior in an environment with a high aesthetic value, and a lower intention to engage in immoral behavior, compared to in an environment with a low aesthetic value. Similarly, an environment with a low aesthetic value was related to immoral behavior. Experiment 2 further explored the possible mechanism for the above results: changes in moral judgment. The results showed that moral judgment in different environments may lead to different behavioral intentions. The current study extends prior research by demonstrating the effect of environmental aesthetic value on behavioral intention and moral judgment, and good knowledge about the relationship between environmental aesthetic value and moral behavior. In addition, it provides a new hypothesis for the relationship between environment and behavior according to the results of the environment–behavior matching hypothesis, which can provide a new perspective on moral education.

Highlights

The environment plays an important role in behaviors [1,2,3,4,5]
A 2 × 2 repeated-measures analysis of scene drawings: moral behavior vs. immoral behavior) repeated-measures analysis of varvariance (ANOVA) with subjects as the random effect was conducted on rating scores on iance (ANOVA) with subjects as the random effect was conducted on rating scores on behavioral intention
We proposed that participants may have a higher score of moral judgment for moral behaviors and a lower score of moral judgment for immoral behaviors in an environment with a high aesthetic value, compared to an environment with a low aesthetic value

Summary

Introduction

The environment plays an important role in behaviors [1,2,3,4,5]. Previous research found that a bright environment, one with many plants, and with a clean smell, influences participants to increase positive behaviors [5,6,7,8]. Prior research has found that the environment may have a negative effect: disorganization, fewer plants, low brightness, and extreme environmental temperatures may cause violent crimes [2], rule-breaking [9], cheating [10]. Aesthetics is a psychological state of emotional pleasure caused by the properties of an object. It defines the characteristics of beauty as a pleasurable experience [11]

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion