Do people’s brains prefer curved TVs?

Other than smart watches that tell you to run and smart appliances that tell you when your food stinks, curved UHD TVs where a big draw at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.
Available in big sizes with bold designs, the few curved displays dotting store shelves may have some consumers scratching their heads, wondering: why a curved TV?
Product experts say a curved TV recreates the experience you get in a movie theatre (which has a slightly curved screen).

They’ll also say the viewer sees better contrast levels in the corners versus a flat screen and the depth perception is improved – two points I can agree with from my viewing observations.
But, as it turns out, our brains scientifically prefer to see curved objects versus straight objects – so we may soon get used to seeing curved TVs in more homes.
Oshin Vartanian, a neuroscience professor at the University of Toronto, studies how people respond to various designs.
His work today examines MRI brain imaging results to explore how people’s brains react to different shapes and objects.
He says that studies since the early ‘20s suggest that people’s brains respond more favourably to curved objects compared to straight ones.
“The preference for curvature is very consistently preferred,” says Vartanian, speaking in the AGO’s swooping Galleria Italia section which had been set up with the world’s first curved UHD TV from Samsung.
“The area of the brain that’s activated when they view curvilinear objects is a core part of the brain’s emotional network.”

Vartanian says the results of such research have not only been used by car designers but by architects too, which can make curved TVs appear more appealing in people’s homes.
“On the one hand, you have this enhanced viewing experience…but also as an architectural design piece it also works because the features are implicitly pleasant.”
Samsung recently launched its 55-inch 9000 Series UHD TV. As is with most ultra high definition displays, the amount of detail it recreates is just stunning.
Like the early days of HDTV and 3D, UHD content isn’t widely available. But compared to 3D TVs, you don’t need glasses to enjoy content. And as more viewers rely on streaming services to watch content, a shift toward watching UHD content on curved TVs could potentially become the norm.
What do you think? Will curved TVs will become more popular?