Seeing Others, Feeling Less Grounded: How Human Presence in Images Reduces Place Attractiveness

People increasingly rely on photographs shared by others when deciding where to travel. Although human presence in such images is prevalent and often assumed to enhance place appeal, little research has examined whether it might also produce unintended drawbacks. Drawing on the theoretical perspective of groundedness, this research proposes that depicting people in place photographs can undermine viewers’ sense of being psychologically anchored to the place, thereby reducing perceived attractiveness. Across one field study and three controlled experiments, we find consistent evidence that human presence lowers place attractiveness by diminishing feelings of groundedness. This effect emerges in cultural but not natural landscapes and cannot be explained by alternative mechanisms such as psychological ownership. By introducing groundedness as a novel psychological mechanism, this research advances understanding of how human presence in imagery shapes individuals’ affective and evaluative responses to destinations.