OBJECTIVE To explore the correlation of open field test(OFT) and light/dark box(LDB), as two animal models of state anxiety in Kunming mice.METHODS The behavior of adult, male, Kunming mice in OFT and LDB was recorded by sequence, for five minutes, with a one-week inter-trial interval.The following parameters were evaluated : percentage of time exploring in the OFT central area(OFT_Ctime%) ; percentage of squares crossing in the OFT central area(OFT_Ccross%) ; total number of squares crossing in OFT(OFT_Cross) ; total number of rears in the OFT(OFT_Rear) ; number of fecal boli in OFT(OFT_FB) ; percentage of time exploring in the LDB light area (LDB_Ltime%); percentage of squares crossing in the LDB light area (LDB_Lcross%) ; and percentage of rears in the LDB light area(LDB_Lrear%) ; transitions between two areas in LDB(LDB_Transition) ; total number of squares crossing in LDB(LDB_Cross) ; total number of rears in LDB(LDB_Rear) ; number of fecal boli in LDB(LDB _FB).Subsequently, factor analysis, cluster analysis and correlation analysis were calculated for these parameters.RESULTS ① Factor analysis and cluster analysis of variances from either OFT or LDB revealed a three-dimension structure : OFT/LDB-anxiety factor (loaded by OFT_Ctime% , OFT_Ccross% or LDB_Ltime%, LDB_Lcross% , LDB_Lrear%), OFT/LDB-activity factor(loaded by OFT_Cross, OFT_Rear or LDB_Transition, LDB_Cross, LDB_Rear) and OFT/LDB-emotionality factor(loaded by OFT_FB or LDB_FB).While all the variances from both OFTT and LDB in combination were analyzed, it could be seen as five components: _LDB-anxiety factor(loaded by LDB_Ltime% , LDB_Lcross% and LDB_Lrear%), _OFT-anxiety factor(loaded by OFT_Ctime% and OFT_Ccross%) , _LDB-activity factor(loaded by LDB_Transition, LDB_Cross and LDB_Rear) , _Emotionality factor (loaded by OFT_FB and LDB_FB) and _OFT-activity factor(loaded by OFT_Cross and OFT_Rear).② Correlation analysis displayed good correlations between OFT-emotionality factor and LDB-emotionality factor(Pearson =0.383, P < 0.001), as same as LDB-anxiety factor and _LDB-anxiety factor(Pearson =0.989, P < 0.001), OFT-anxiety factor and _OFT-anxiety factor(Pearson =0.934, P < 0.001), LDB-activity factor and _LDB-activity factor(Pearson =0.956, P <0.001), OFT-emotionality factor, LDB-emotionality factor and _emitionality factor(Pearson =0.835, P < 0.001 ; Pearson =0.696, P < 0.001), OFT-activity factor and _OFT-activity factor (Pearson =0.926, P < 0.001).CONCLUSION Either OFT or LDB comprised three behavioral dimensions : OFT/LDB-anxiety factor, OFT/LDB-activity factor and OFT/LDB-emotionality factor; however, it was difficult to establish face validity as a point-to-point concordance between OFT and LDB.Attention should be paid to heterogeneity of animal models when OFT and LDB were in combination as a "behavionomics" to evaluate anxiolytics in Kunming mice.