## 4 Discussion
### Conclusions  
The present study pursued two main aims. The first one was to investigate how typeface shape influences the perceived sweetness and pleasantness of a typeface and reading fluency. Specifically, this study aimed to determine whether round/rounded typefaces are perceived as sweeter and more pleasant than angular/pointed ones and how the perception of typeface sweetness is related to reading fluency (reading speed and comprehension). The second aim was to examine differences between younger, less experienced readers and adult, more experienced readers in their responses to typeface shape. This study aimed to explore whether the relationship between perceived sweetness, pleasantness, and reading fluency varies between these two age groups. Round/rounded typefaces were consistently rated as sweeter and more pleasant than angular/pointed typefaces. This correlation aligns with prior research suggesting that sweetness and pleasantness are often associated with rounded shapes. Interestingly, younger readers exhibited a stronger association between sweetness and pleasantness and provided higher sweetness ratings overall compared to adults. Sweetness ratings were significantly correlated with reading speed: sweeter typefaces were read faster by both age groups. However, no significant relationship was found between sweetness and reading comprehension, likely due to limitations in our comprehension test. As expected, university students, being more experienced readers, outperformed younger students in both reading speed and comprehension. Children displayed a greater sensitivity to typeface shape, which may be due to their heightened responsiveness to sensory stimuli, their limited exposure to typographic diversity, or their familiarity with the text materials used in this study. In contrast, adults rated typefaces with slightly lower sweetness and pleasantness, suggesting that their perceptions are less influenced by typeface design. When evaluating emotional responses to different typefaces, the ratings of sweetness can be an adequate substitute for the ratings of pleasantness. In our study, typefaces that were rated as sweeter were read faster. Using typefaces that evoke a stronger sense of sweetness in the reader could make reading more enjoyable, which in turn could have a positive effect on the reading process for both younger and older readers. Sweeter typefaces could be recommended for the design of the reading materials for less experienced and more experienced readers. We suggest using typefaces that are not sans-serif but have more organic forms, including serif typefaces with some characteristics of old-style typefaces. These findings reinforce the importance of considering typeface shape and cross-modal correspondences in both research and practical applications. Future studies should build on these insights to better understand the broader implications of typography for reading efficiency and enjoyment across different age groups. Conceptualisation: [PERSON], [PERSON] and [PERSON]; methodology: [PERSON], [PERSON] and K.M. ; formal analysis: [PERSON]; validation: [PERSON] and [PERSON]; data collection: [PERSON]; resources: [PERSON]; visualisation: [PERSON]; writing--original draft: [PERSON]; writing--review and editing: [PERSON] and [PERSON]; funding acquisition: [PERSON], [PERSON] and [PERSON]; supervision: [PERSON] and [PERSON]. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript. The research was founded by the Slovenian Research Agency (research core fundings No. P2-0450 and No. P5-0110). The studies involving human participants were reviewed and approved by the Ethics Commission of the Faculty of Arts, University of Ljubljana. The protocol code is 270-2022, date of approval is 3 May 2022. Informed consent to participate in this study was provided by the participants or their legal guardian/next of kin. Informed Consent Statement: Informed consent was obtained from all subjects involved in the research.