Images To Evoke Different Emotions

Emotions influence human interactions and reactions. Yet many people assume that their decisions are purely based on logic.

However, many research studies have debunked this belief. Even simple purchasing decisions are a result of your emotional response to a trigger point, which you later justify with logical arguments. Emotions like pride, fear, envy, guilt, greed, empathy and compassion all affect your decision making process.

While your presentation may not always involve selling or changing a course of action, you can use emotions to create an atmosphere of trust, inspire confidence in your audience, and appeal to their selfless and compassionate nature.

Visual media, especially images, have the ability to evoke strong emotions in viewers. This enables your audience to engage deeply with your content/message.

DO ALL IMAGES STIR UP POWERFUL EMOTIONS?

According to various theories on human psychology, most people experiences similar feelings on seeing a certain kind of image.

PICTURES THAT FORCE YOUR AUDIENCE TO REACT

Close ups and portraits

Your ability to remember faces enables you to form strong social connections, and this extends to photographic images of people. A close range shot evokes a personal reaction in people. Portraits have a similar effect. This could be positive or negative depending on depicted image.

Baby Faces

The specific set of physical characteristics that define human babies is considered cute and appealing. Human fondness for animals ensures that this extends to images of baby mammals. Show your audience some interesting pictures of babies and watch their reaction. Your audience will respond positively to any image that represents this cuteness factor.

Inspiring Images

You seek to overcome limitations, push the boundary, and achieve your dreams. You constantly look for inspiration from various sources. So does your audience. Images that inspire your audience can have a great influence on their behaviour and their efforts. Use inspiring pictures in your presentation to help them improve or achieve.

Nostalgia

Certain poignant images trigger memories of past events in people. Nostalgia can be a good or bad thing. It can motivate or demoralize. Whether your audience reacts positively or not to these images depends on two key factors. Was the event meaningful to them? Did it involve people who mattered to them?

Happy images

While body language helps you express your attitudes and feelings, you also imitate others’ expressive gestures. Photographs that display emotional signals help your audience experience these feelings as their own. Images of happy faces or happy moments can have a positive impact on them.

Have you used such emotions in your presentations? Was the audience reaction on expected lines?

Originally published at blog.slidebot.io on May 22, 2016.