Effects of background music on evaluations of visual images

Consumers are increasingly exposed to simultaneous auditory and visual stimulation in retail environments. Consistently, there is rising practitioner interest how interact the appearance of products packaging with music sounds. This study addresses intriguing question whether systematically changes people like what they see. We propose a cross-modal homeostasis effect that explains inverted-U relationship between perceived complexity visuals much them. show presence (irrespective its complexity) shifts optimal level towards liking relatively simple visuals. Thus, while mere decreases consumers' complex visuals, it increases their simpler Given omnipresence background across business environments, results have important implications, as can unexpected consequences for evaluation