Work

Seeing Others, Feeling Less Grounded: How Human Presence in Images Reduces Place Attractiveness

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: People increasingly rely on photographs shared by others when deciding where to travel. Although human presence in such images is prevalent and often assumed to enhance place appeal, little research has examined whether it might also produce unintended drawbacks. Drawing on the theoretical perspective of groundedness, this research proposes that depicting people in place photographs can undermine viewers' sense of being psychologically anchored to the place, thereby reducing perceived attractiveness. Across one field study and three controlled experiments, we find consistent evidence that human presence lowers place attractiveness by diminishing feelings of groundedness. This effect emerges in cultural but not natural landscapes and cannot be explained by alternative mechanisms such as psychological ownership. By introducing groundedness as a novel psychological mechanism, this research advances understanding of how human presence in imagery shapes individuals' affective and evaluative responses to destinations.

Source: Behavioral Sciences

DOI: 10.3390/bs16030433

Authors: Dengfeng Cui, Xinyi Zhu, Lin Wang, Zengxiang Chen

Institutions: Shihezi University, Sun Yat-sen University

Language: English

Topic: Diverse Aspects of Tourism Research

Subfield: Sociology and Political Science

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $2,654

Funders: National Natural Science Foundation of China, Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities