Published
2025-12-18
Section
Research Articles
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Dong Li

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
The journal adopts the Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0), which means that anyone can reuse and redistribute the materials for non-commercial purposes as long as you follow the license terms and the original source is properly cited.
Author(s) shall retain the copyright of their work and grant the Journal/Publisher rights for the first publication with the work concurrently licensed since 2023 Vol.8 No.2.
Under this license, author(s) will allow third parties to download, reuse, reprint, modify, distribute and/or copy the content under the condition that the authors are given credit. No permission is required from the authors or the publisher.
This broad license intends to facilitate free access, as well as the unrestricted use of original works of all types. This ensures that the published work is freely and openly available in perpetuity.
By providing open access, the following benefits are brought about:
- Higher Visibility, Availability and Citations-free and unlimited accessibility of the publication over the internet without any restrictions increases citation of the article.
- Ease of search-publications are easily searchable in search engines and indexing databases.
- Rapid Publication – accepted papers are immediately published online.
- Available for free download immediately after publication at https://esp.as-pub.com/index.php/ESP

Copyright Statement
1.The authors certify that the submitted manuscripts are original works, do not infringe the rights of others, are free from academic misconduct and confidentiality issues, and that there are no disputes over the authorship scheme of the collaborative articles. In case of infringement, academic misconduct and confidentiality issues, as well as disputes over the authorship scheme, all responsibilities will be borne by the authors.
2. The author agrees to grant the Editorial Office of Environment and Social Psychology a licence to use the reproduction right, distribution right, information network dissemination right, performance right, translation right, and compilation right of the submitted manuscript, including the work as a whole, as well as the diagrams, tables, abstracts, and any other parts that can be extracted from the work and used in accordance with the characteristics of the journal. The Editorial Board of Environment and Social Psychology has the right to use and sub-licence the above mentioned works for wide dissemination in print, electronic and online versions, and, in accordance with the characteristics of the periodical, for the period of legal protection of the property right of the copyright in the work, and for the territorial scope of the work throughout the world.
3. The authors are entitled to the copyright of their works under the relevant laws of Singapore, provided that they do not exercise their rights in a manner prejudicial to the interests of the Journal.
About Licence
Environment and Social Psychology is an open access journal and all published work is available under the Creative Commons Licence, Authors shall retain copyright of their work and grant the journal/publisher the right of first publication, and their work shall be licensed under the Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0).
Under this licence, the author grants permission to third parties to download, reuse, reprint, modify, distribute and/or copy the content with attribution to the author. No permission from the author or publisher is required.
This broad licence is intended to facilitate free access to and unrestricted use of original works of all kinds. This ensures that published works remain free and accessible in perpetuity. Submitted manuscripts, once accepted, are immediately available to the public and permanently accessible free of charge on the journal’s official website (https://esp.as-pub.com/index.php/ESP). Allowing users to read, download, copy, print, search for or link to the full text of the article, or use it for other legal purposes. However, the use of the work must retain the author's signature, be limited to non-commercial purposes, and not be interpretative.
Click to download <Agreement on the Licence for the Use of Copyright on Environmental and Social Psychology>.
How to Cite
The role and challenges of watercolor art in the integration of environmental psychology and social psychology from an interdisciplinary perspective
Dong Li
College of Fine Arts and Design, Jining Normal University, Ulanqab 012000, Inner Mongolia, China
DOI: https://doi.org/10.59429/esp.v10i12.4333
Keywords: watercolor art; environmental psychology; social psychology; interdisciplinary integration; synergistic enhancement; stress recovery; community identity; attitude change; group differences; mental health intervention
Abstract
This study adopts an interdisciplinary perspective to systematically explore the operational mechanisms, effect characteristics, and practical challenges of watercolor art in the integration of environmental psychology and social psychology. Through a mixed-method approach combining literature review, experimental research, and field investigation, an 18-month longitudinal study was conducted with 745 participants, employing standardized psychological measurement instruments to assess the multidimensional psychological effects of watercolor art.The findings reveal that: In the environmental psychology dimension, watercolor art significantly facilitates stress recovery (42% reduction), attention restoration (37% improvement), and emotion regulation (54% enhancement), achieving psychological restoration functions through a three-stage pathway of "soft fascination-deep engagement-cognitive reconstruction." In the social psychology dimension, watercolor art effectively enhances social interaction quality (48% increase), strengthens community identity construction (sense of belonging +62%, place attachment +87%), and promotes social attitude transmission (attitude change +217%), operating through a triple pathway of "aesthetic pleasure-emotional arousal-memory consolidation."The key innovation lies in revealing the cross-dimensional synergistic enhancement mechanism across environmental-social dual dimensions (average +24%, η²=0.37), demonstrating that the integrated effects significantly exceed linear additive expectations, thereby providing empirical support for establishing a triadic integration theoretical framework of "environment-society-individual." The study also identifies differentiated response patterns among diverse groups: elderly populations exhibit significant advantages in stress recovery (8.5 points), artistic experience demonstrates compensatory effects for socioeconomic disadvantages (low-education groups +58%), and rural communities display "reverse advantages" in social belonging (+9%).The research confronts challenges including interdisciplinary methodological integration, long-term effect tracking, and cultural applicability. Future directions recommend exploring deeper mechanisms through neuroimaging techniques, conducting randomized controlled trials to verify intervention effects, expanding cross-cultural comparative research, and advancing both theoretical deepening and applied transformation in the psychology of watercolor art.
References
[1]. 1.Tang W, Yu D, Zhang T, et al. Application of painting style recognition and imitation technology based on deep learning in art education[J]. Systems and Soft Computing, 2025, 7: 200400-200400.
[2]. 2.Song Blinglei. Research on the application of mural painting art in environmental design[J]. New Art Field, 2022, (04): 67-69.
[3]. 3.Kendra M, Maria G, M. A B. The role of imagery and emotion in the aesthetic appeal of music, poetry, and paintings[J]. Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts, 2025, 19(6): 1373-1382.
[4]. 4.Tužinská H. The Communicative Space: Painting the Evidence and Plausibility in Asylum Court Hearings[J]. Social & Legal Studies, 2025, 34(6): 832-855.
[5]. 5.Moreira P R, Silva B T M. Soil in Art. Its Representation in Naturalistic Painting of the 17th and 19th Centuries[J]. Spanish Journal of Soil Science, 2025, 15: 14834-14834.
[6]. 6.Cao Yu, Dong Mengyao, Zhang Mengqi. Research on the integration of painting art and interior environmental art design[J]. New Art Field, 2025, (05): 106-108.
[7]. 7.Chen Min. Integration strategies of painting art and interior environmental design based on integration concepts[J]. Footwear Craft and Design, 2024, 4(18): 195-197.
[8]. 8.Zhao Shengwen. Borrowing from and innovation upon literati painting spirit in watercolor painting[J]. New Art Field, 2024, (10): 10-12.
[9]. 9.Ralph H, James B. Examining the effect of context on the watercolor illusion[J]. Journal of Vision, 2018, 18(10): 580-580.
[10]. 10.Yang Xin, Xu Jingfeng, Wei Mian. Research on exhibition lighting environment from the perspective of painting appreciation[J]. China Illuminating Engineering Journal, 2024, 35(02): 106-115.
[11]. 11.Zou Ying. Integration of painting art and interior environmental art design from an integrative perspective[J]. Footwear Craft and Design, 2024, 4(06): 195-197.
[12]. 12.Huang Minquan. Application of different watercolor techniques in modern plane painting[J]. Paper Information, 2024, (10): 61-62.
[13]. 13.Wu Yingli, Wang Limei. Research on the application of AI painting tools in environmental design professional drawing teaching[J]. Plastic Packaging, 2025, 35(04): 88-91.
[14]. 14.Hui B. Artificial intelligence-based fuzzy control algorithm for the fusion of Chinese art painting colors with film[J]. Discover Artificial Intelligence, 2025, 5(1): 298-298.
[15]. 15.Lu Wenjing. Optimization of emotionalized color painting teaching mode in vocational high schools under information technology environment[J]. Color, 2025, (01): 166-168.
[16]. 16.Zhang W, Han X, Guo H, et al. Study on the modification of You-Man as the traditional adhesive material for the ground layer in polychrome painting of ancient Chinese architecture[J]. Construction and Building Materials, 2025, 496: 143831-143831.
[17]. 17.Stani C, Sciutto G, Birarda G, et al. Nanoscale morphological and spectroscopic mapping of zinc carboxylate formation in oil and tempera paintings[J]. Analytica Chimica Acta, 2025, 1380: 344740-344740.
[18]. 18.Yu J, Fang X, Ma Q, et al. Synthesis of fluorine-modified acrylate emulsion by glow discharge electrolysis: Structure, mechanism and application in the conservation of wall painting at Mogao Grottoes[J]. Colloids and Surfaces A: Physicochemical and Engineering Aspects, 2026, 728(P2): 138567-138567.
[19]. 19.Pamela Y, Patricia S, Thomas L. Microfadeometry of Miss Breme Jones Watercolor with Iron-gall Ink Inscriptions[J]. Microscopy and Microanalysis, 2018, 24(S1): 2170-2171.
[20]. 20.Ryuho K, Shigeru K. A watercolor painting of northern lights seen above Japan on 11 February 1958[J]. Journal of Space Weather and Space Climate, 2019, 9: A28-A28.
[21]. 21.Macdonald S. Receiving the Classics: The Curation of Ink Painting Animation in the Early People's Republic of China[J]. Animation, 2025, 20(3): 252-269.
[22]. 22.Sandra K. Botanical Art Techniques: A Comprehensive Guide to Watercolor, Graphite, Colored Pencil, Vellum, Pen and Ink, Egg Tempera, Oils, Printmaking, and More[J]. Library Journal, 2020, 145(5): 116-116.
[23]. 23.K. E L. Heirloom Fruits of America: Selections from the USDA Pomological Watercolor Collection[J]. Leonardo, 2021, 54(4): 467-469.
[24]. 24.G R H, M J B. Influence of context on spatial expanse of color spreading in the watercolor illusion[J]. Attention, Perception & Psychophysics, 2021, 83(8): 1-15.
[25]. 25.Shahi R K. William Trost Richards's "Real Drawing" and the Currency of Watercolor, ca. 1875–85[J]. American Art, 2020, 34(2): 54-77.
[26]. 26.Li Jing. Application of traditional painting art elements in exhibition space environment[J]. China Convention & Exhibition, 2023, (18): 67-69.
[27]. 27.Jiang Wenhao. Integration of painting art and interior environmental art design[J]. Dwelling, 2023, (17): 14-16+164.
[28]. 28.Anonymous. The Pomological Watercolor Collection[J]. Issues in Science and Technology, 2022, 38(4): 76-76.
[29]. 29.Lorenzo S, Giona C, Stefano S, et al. Robotic Sponge and Watercolor Painting Based on Image-Processing and Contour-Filling Algorithms[J]. Actuators, 2022, 11(2): 62-62.
[30]. 30.Kelly P. "A Better Idea than the Best Constructed Charts": Watercolor Views in Early British Hydrography[J]. Grey Room, 2021, (85): 70-99.
[31]. 31.Erik C. Epic Landscapes: Benjamin Henry Latrobe and the Art of Watercolor by Julia Sienkewicz, and: Building America: The Life of Benjamin Henry Latrobe by Jean H. Baker (review)[J]. Arris, 2021, 32(1): 68-71.
[32]. 32.Ni Lewei. Analysis of the application of modern painting in exhibition space environment[J]. Fashion Design and Engineering, 2023, (01): 19-21.
[33]. 33.Chen Ye. Investigation of the impact of AI painting trends on environmental art design[J]. Footwear Craft and Design, 2023, 3(03): 91-93.
[34]. 34.Norio N, Rebekah K. Toward the Reutilization of Past Natural History Materials Regarding Tropical Marine Life in the Pacific Islands: Analysis of Watercolor Paintings by Toshio Asaeda from the Crocker Expeditions in the 1930s: Articles[J]. People and Culture in Oceania, 2023, 38: 35-50.
[35]. 35.Daiga F C, Andrejs T, Vilnis F. Modeled surface salinity and satellite data as proxy for Secchi depth and watercolor of the Gulf of Riga[J]. E3S Web of Conferences, 2023, 436: 10001-10001.
[36]. 36.Folds P, Conway E, Hale R, et al. Luminance contrast impacts ability of watercolor illusion to serve as figure cue in ambiguous images[J]. Journal of Vision, 2022, 22(14): 4135-4135.
[37]. 37.Lu Xiaopeng. Expression and application research of comprehensive watercolor techniques in illustration art[J]. Beauty & Times (Mid), 2023, (11): 115-117.
[38]. 38.Tao Changping. Application of watercolor landscape painting in interior furnishings from the perspective of regional culture[J]. Construction Economy, 2021, 42(08): 107-108.
[39]. 39.Ng L W, Hu H, Zhuang Z. Design & study of cost-effective conservation of watercolor paper[J]. Journal of Cultural Heritage, 2024, 68: 246-253.
[40]. 40.G R H, M J B. Exploring watercolor illusion spreading between dissected stimulus parts[J]. Perception, 2023, 53(2): 3010066231210455-3010066231210455.
[41]. 41.Yiying C. Short-term training in watercolor painting on psychological anxiety of adult students from the perspective of art psychology[J]. CNS Spectrums, 2023, 28(S2): S96-S96.
[42]. 42.Folds P, Nutt C, Lumpkin T, et al. Relative luminance of ambiguous figure/ground regions impacts the ability of the watercolor illusion to bias figure assignment[J]. Journal of Vision, 2023, 23(9): 5360-5360.
[43]. 43.Li Hang. Analysis of the combination of watercolor painting color aesthetics and cultural inheritance[J]. Beauty & Times (Mid), 2025, (06): 113-115.
[44]. 44.Spillmann L. Watercolor spreading in Bridget Riley's and Piet Mondrian's op-art placed in the context of recent watercolor studies[J]. Journal of Vision, 2024, 24(6): 15-15.
[45]. 45.Zou Y, Zhang A, Wang X, et al. Comparison of feature selection and data fusion of Fourier transform infrared and Raman spectroscopy for identifying watercolor ink[J]. Journal of Forensic Sciences, 2024, 69(2): 584-592.
[46]. 46.Hale G R, McDunn A B, Lumpkin L T, et al. Impact of the watercolor illusion and contrast on figure-ground reversibility[J]. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 2025, 32(4): 1-9.
[47]. 47.Li Jipeng. Analysis of picture space construction in contemporary Chinese watercolor works[J]. Beauty & Times (Mid), 2024, (06): 21-23.
[48]. 48.Babcock J. "Life Ain't Gonna Be Like You Always Wanted": Mixed media animation (charcoal, dirt, indigo dyed cotton, molasses, sugar, and watercolor on paper) by Rebecca Louise Carter, 2024[J]. Visual Anthropology Review, 2025, 41(1): e70003-e70003.
[49]. 49.Cao S. Inheritance and Research: The "Hubei Phenomenon" of Watercolor Painting in the National Art Exhibition[J]. Highlights in Art and Design, 2025, 10(1): 37-41.
[50]. 50.G. T. Photographies, photo-aquarelles: l'œuvre de Félix Méheux: Photographs and watercolor photos by Félix Méheux[J]. Annales de Dermatologie et de Vénéréologie - FMC, 2021, 1(8S3): 8S106-8S126.
[51]. 51.Hale G R. Impact of the watercolor illusion on figure-ground reversibility[J]. Journal of Vision, 2019, 19(10): 35a-35a.






