Pleasantness and arousal in twenty-five positive emotions elicited by durable products

Abstract

This study reports quantitative research into two basic dimensions of emotions: pleasantness and arousal. Fifty-nine participants evaluated these two dimensions for a set of twenty-five positive emotions in relation to human-product interactions. Three levels of arousal were iden- tified: ‘exciting’, ‘median’ and ‘calm’. Nine emotions were found to be exciting, namely energetic, euphoria, amusement, desire, joy, love, inspiration, lust and surprise. Ten emotions were found to be median in arousal, namely fascination, satisfaction, confidence, pride, anticipation, enchant- ment, courage, hope, worship and admiration. Six emotions were found to be calm, namely relaxation, relief, kindness, dreaminess, respect and sympathy. Three levels of pleasantness were also identified: ‘very pleasant’, ‘mildly pleasant’ and ‘pleasant’. Six emotions were found to be very pleasant, namely amusement, joy, satisfaction, inspiration, euphoria and love. Thirteen emotions were found to be mildly pleasant, namely relief, relaxation, kindness, dreaminess, con- fidence, fascination, pride, enchantment, anticipation, energetic, desire, lust and surprise. Finally six emotions were found to be pleasant, namely respect, sympathy, admiration, courage, hope and worship. The results of this study can guide designers to define the emotional tone of the user experience that they are aiming for.