Humans prefer to see and imagine drawing curved objects

Abstract

Lines contribute to the visual experience of drawings. People show a higher preference for curved than sharp angled lines. We studied preference for curvature using drawings of commonly-used objects drawn by design students. We also investigated the relationship of that preference with drawing preference. Experiments 1 and 2 revealed preference for the curved drawings in the laboratory and web-based contexts, respectively. Experiment 3 showed that the curved drawings were also preferred to draw than the sharp-angled ones. However, this effect only appeared when the drawings were made by hand, but not when they were made by computer. We found a moderate positive correlation between liking and drawing preference. This relationship was mainly explained by the hand-made drawings. Sex, art experience and openness to experience did not influence preference for curvature. Altogether, our findings support the curvature effect and the hypothesis that people prefer to draw what they like to see.