Emotion Drives Material Innovation—A Method for Investigating Emotional Reactions to Wood Materials

The furniture market is being conquered by the variety of wood-based composite materials to the detriment of solid wood, which is considered expensive, but research has yet to explain definitively why these two materials receive such disparate evaluations. This study aims to evaluate the perception...

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Main Authors: Shenghua Tan, Pin Gao, Ziqiang Fan, Nan Lin, Zhiyu Long
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-03-01
Series:Buildings
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2075-5309/15/6/846
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author Shenghua Tan
Pin Gao
Ziqiang Fan
Nan Lin
Zhiyu Long
author_facet Shenghua Tan
Pin Gao
Ziqiang Fan
Nan Lin
Zhiyu Long
author_sort Shenghua Tan
collection DOAJ
description The furniture market is being conquered by the variety of wood-based composite materials to the detriment of solid wood, which is considered expensive, but research has yet to explain definitively why these two materials receive such disparate evaluations. This study aims to evaluate the perception of wood by proposing an emotion-oriented research method. It combines the esthetic appeal of wood products, the subjective emotions of the subjects, and physiological emotions. We evaluated different wood materials using a multisensory evaluation method that combines vision and touch during the experiment. Seven specimens of solid wood and three of wood composite materials covered with synthetic veneer with similar characteristics were evaluated, and we used subjective evaluations and physiological responses (electroencephalography and electrodermal activity) from twenty participants. Our analysis identified significant correlations between subjective assessment and physiological responses, highlighting the influence of material appearance on emotional reactions. Notably, rough-textured materials elicited higher positive affectivity than smooth-textured ones, and bright materials were associated with more positive emotions. This research elucidates the impact of material components on emotional responses, offering insights into processing techniques that enhance the value of wood product design.
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spelling doaj-art-994ffecbdc224af4bbf9be0c6ff8b5e22025-08-20T02:42:35ZengMDPI AGBuildings2075-53092025-03-0115684610.3390/buildings15060846Emotion Drives Material Innovation—A Method for Investigating Emotional Reactions to Wood MaterialsShenghua Tan0Pin Gao1Ziqiang Fan2Nan Lin3Zhiyu Long4School of Visual Arts and Design, Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts, Guangzhou 510261, ChinaCheung Kong School of Art Design, Shantou University, Shantou 515063, ChinaCollege of Fine Arts, Heilongjiang University, Harbin 150080, ChinaSchool of Visual Arts and Design, Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts, Guangzhou 510261, ChinaCheung Kong School of Art Design, Shantou University, Shantou 515063, ChinaThe furniture market is being conquered by the variety of wood-based composite materials to the detriment of solid wood, which is considered expensive, but research has yet to explain definitively why these two materials receive such disparate evaluations. This study aims to evaluate the perception of wood by proposing an emotion-oriented research method. It combines the esthetic appeal of wood products, the subjective emotions of the subjects, and physiological emotions. We evaluated different wood materials using a multisensory evaluation method that combines vision and touch during the experiment. Seven specimens of solid wood and three of wood composite materials covered with synthetic veneer with similar characteristics were evaluated, and we used subjective evaluations and physiological responses (electroencephalography and electrodermal activity) from twenty participants. Our analysis identified significant correlations between subjective assessment and physiological responses, highlighting the influence of material appearance on emotional reactions. Notably, rough-textured materials elicited higher positive affectivity than smooth-textured ones, and bright materials were associated with more positive emotions. This research elucidates the impact of material components on emotional responses, offering insights into processing techniques that enhance the value of wood product design.https://www.mdpi.com/2075-5309/15/6/846wood productsperception of woodemotionmultisensory stimulationwood products designsubjective evaluation
spellingShingle Shenghua Tan
Pin Gao
Ziqiang Fan
Nan Lin
Zhiyu Long
Emotion Drives Material Innovation—A Method for Investigating Emotional Reactions to Wood Materials
Buildings
wood products
perception of wood
emotion
multisensory stimulation
wood products design
subjective evaluation
title Emotion Drives Material Innovation—A Method for Investigating Emotional Reactions to Wood Materials
title_full Emotion Drives Material Innovation—A Method for Investigating Emotional Reactions to Wood Materials
title_fullStr Emotion Drives Material Innovation—A Method for Investigating Emotional Reactions to Wood Materials
title_full_unstemmed Emotion Drives Material Innovation—A Method for Investigating Emotional Reactions to Wood Materials
title_short Emotion Drives Material Innovation—A Method for Investigating Emotional Reactions to Wood Materials
title_sort emotion drives material innovation a method for investigating emotional reactions to wood materials
topic wood products
perception of wood
emotion
multisensory stimulation
wood products design
subjective evaluation
url https://www.mdpi.com/2075-5309/15/6/846
work_keys_str_mv AT shenghuatan emotiondrivesmaterialinnovationamethodforinvestigatingemotionalreactionstowoodmaterials
AT pingao emotiondrivesmaterialinnovationamethodforinvestigatingemotionalreactionstowoodmaterials
AT ziqiangfan emotiondrivesmaterialinnovationamethodforinvestigatingemotionalreactionstowoodmaterials
AT nanlin emotiondrivesmaterialinnovationamethodforinvestigatingemotionalreactionstowoodmaterials
AT zhiyulong emotiondrivesmaterialinnovationamethodforinvestigatingemotionalreactionstowoodmaterials