Authors: Marta Šveb Dragija, Nina Hansen and Martijn van Zomeren
Journal: Journal of Community & Applied Social Psychology
Publisher: John Wiley and Sons Ltd.
Year: 2024.
Online ISSN:1099-1298
Print ISSN:1052-9284
In three social-psychological experiments with Croatian and American participants, the authors explored how the description of museum design influences visitors’ expectations of well-being and emotional experiences. The findings revealed a clear distinction between anticipated eudaimonic and hedonic experiences. Eudaimonic museum design, in addition to evoking positive emotions, prompted complex emotional reactions such as compassion, awe, sadness, and guilt, while hedonically designed museums encouraged feelings of pleasure and relaxation. These results emphasize the importance of describing museum design to potential visitors to better shape their expectations, which has significant implications for contemporary theories of well-being and emotions, as well as for museum presentation practices.
The full article is available at the following link: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/casp.70025
