The effects of map projections and map distance on emotional involvement with places

Abstract

AbstractPrevious research has shown that people are less concerned with events that occur in distant places than with nearby happenings. World maps show the locations of and relative distances between places, but the cartographer's choice of map projection system and geographic origin for the projection can significantly affect the apparent distances between places on the map. The study reported here was designed to investigate the relationship between the emotional involvement of a sample student population with hypothetical events in a number of world locations and the distance between 'home' and those locations as shown on different map projections. Results showed a consistent inverse relationship between interest and distance, with the interest level for the same cities changing as distances (projections) were changed. Other variables also influenced people's responses. Overall, women expressed significantly higher emotional involvement with places than men, and certain regions produced a higher or lo...