Visual representations of SARS‐CoV‐2, emotions, and risk perception of COVID‐19

Abstract

Background and Aims Before COVID‐19 was declared a global pandemic, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), and many other organizations published many images of its pathogen (namely SARS‐CoV‐2) to raise public awareness of the disease. Despite their scientific and aesthetic values, such images may convey metaphoric meanings and cause a subsequent impact on viewers' fear and disgust. This study investigated how exposure to the SARS‐CoV‐2 images might shape viewers' fear, disgust, and risk perception of COVID‐19. Methods Seventy images depicting the SARS‐CoV‐2 were collected from the websites of CDC, NIAID, and third‐party organizations in early 2020. We first showed the images to a group of 492 adults recruited from the Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk) and asked them to rate their levels of fear and disgust for each image. Results of this pre‐test allowed us to identify images that evoked high, medium, and low levels of fear and disgust, which were then used as treatment stimuli for an online experiment with a national sample of 500 U.S. adults. Results Exposure to the selected SARS‐CoV‐2 images caused different levels of disgust, but not fear, among the members of the national sample. Noticeably, the images evoking the highest level of disgust backfired among those who were least concerned about COVID and caused less fear than images evoking the lowest level of disgust. Image exposure was not associated with risk perception of the disease. Conclusion This study found that the seemingly objective visualizations of the SARS‐CoV‐2 are not emotionally neutral. Scientists, agencies, and media professionals should be mindful of the potential emotional impact of science visualizations, such as when creating the iconic image for COVID‐19 or other infectious diseases.

When Science Meets Art on Instagram: Examining the Effects of Visual Art on Emotions, Interest, and Social Media Engagement

“…However, it is worth noting that some visual characteristics, such as the repetitive use of circular shapes and the juxtaposition of contrasting colors, can elicit strong negative emotional responses (Ayzenberg et al, 2018; Rádlová et al, 2019). For instance, a study examining visual representations of SARS-CoV-2 (the pathogen responsible for causing COVID-19) found that images characterized by vibrant colors, irregular shapes, and sophisticated patterns evoked stronger emotions, including fear and disgust, among viewers than those lacking these distinctive features (N. Li et al, 2022).…”