Psychophysiological responses associated with perceived color harmony in display-mediated visual environments

Perceived color harmony is an important component of visual experience in display-mediated environments, yet its relationship with psychophysiological responses remains incompletely understood. This study investigated associations between perceived color harmony and subjective and physiological responses using naturalistic nighttime scenes presented on a calibrated display. In a controlled laboratory environment with an ambient illuminance of 57 lx, 46 participants viewed 34 nighttime scenes and rated their perceived color harmony, while pupillary dynamics, heart rate variability (HRV), and electrodermal activity (EDA) were recorded. Pupillary responses differed between passive viewing and active evaluation, with the TL condition showing a 0.219 mm larger pupil-diameter response at the centered luminance predictor (95 % CI: 0.147–0.292). Because the two conditions differed in attentional and decisional demands, this difference is interpreted as task-associated rather than as a harmony-specific physiological effect. Associations between perceived color harmony and autonomic measures were comparatively weak and depended on the analytical approach, with HRV showing no reliable within-participant relationship with harmony perception. Overall, the findings indicate that perceived color harmony is associated with subjective display experience, whereas its physiological correlates are more limited and context dependent. These results support the use of pupillometry as an objective physiological measure in display evaluation and provide a basis for future studies using experimentally controlled chromatic manipulations and matched cognitive-control tasks.