Effect of background and foreground music on satisfaction, behavior, and emotional responses in public spaces of shopping malls

摘要

The study aims at exploring the specific effects of different types of broadcast music in the public spaces of shopping malls on customers' satisfaction, behavior intention, and emotional responses to the commercial service environment. An experiment was carried out in a laboratory: photos taken and sounds recorded on-site were shown to participants, who were then asked to answer questionnaires based on approach-avoidance behavior and pleasure-arousal-dominance emotion theories. The results showed that background music can increase individuals' positive evaluation of the environment, facilitate approach behavior, and enhance pleasure and dominance emotions, while foreground music can increase arousal distinctly. The effect of music in a large atrium space is significantly greater when compared to other spaces. Men have a higher level of satisfaction and arousal than do women with specific music settings, while older people are less sensitive to music than their younger counterparts and more tolerant of the environment. (C) 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.