Anjan ChatterjeeThe University of Pennsylvania

The Neuroscience of Aesthetics

Responses are automatic

Aesthetics engage

Beauty matters

Values are leaky

Context matters

Aesthetic Experience

Knowledge-MeaningExpertiseContextCulture

Emotion-ValuationRewardEmotionWanting/

liking

Sensory-Motor

SensationPerception

Motor system

Chatterjee, Vartanian. TiCS. 2014

Responses are automatic

Aesthetics engage

Beauty matters

Values are leaky

Context matters

FACIAL BEAUTYSymmetry

Grammer, Thornhill. J Comp Psychol, 1994

Galtonian composite face. Frontpiece: The Criminal

Havelock Ellis 1890

FACIAL BEAUTYAveraging

Rhodes, Ann Rev Psychol 2006

Winston, et. al, Neuropsychologia 2007

O’Doherty, et. al, Neuropsychologia 2003

Vartanian, Navarrete, Chatterjee, et. al, PNAS 2013

Pegors, Kable, Chatterjee, Epstein, JOCN 2014.

Pegors, Kable, Chatterjee, Epstein, JOCN 2014.

Responses are automatic

Aesthetics engage

Beauty matters

Values are leaky

Context matters

0 1000 2000 3000

attractive? attractive?

identical?

Session A

Session B

0% 33% 66% 100%

Chatterjee, Thomas, Smith, Aguirre, Neuropsychology 2009

Beauty judgment

Chatterjee, Thomas, Smith, Aguirre, Neuropsychology 2009

Kim, et. al, PNAS 2007

Responses are automatic

Aesthetics engage

Beauty matters

Values are leaky

Context matters

Vessel, Starr, Rubin. Front Hum Neurosci 2012

Cela-Conde, et al., PNAS 2013

Ticini, et al., Frontiers Hum Neurosci 2014.

Umilta, et al., Frontiers Hum Neurosci 2012.

Rosa-Leyra, et al., in prep.

Responses are automatic

Aesthetics engage

Beauty matters

Values are leaky

Context matters

Tsukiura, Cabeza, SCAN 2010.

Wang, Mo, Mo, et al., SCAN 2014

Responses are automatic

Aesthetics engage

Beauty matters

Values are leaky

Context matters

Kirk, Skov, Hulme, et. al, Neuroimage 2009

Responses are automatic

Aesthetics engage

Beauty matters

Values are leaky

Context matters

Vartanian, et. al, PACA 2013

Beauty as variableOvulatory shift hypothesis

Peak shift principleEnvironmental security hypothesis

Averaging

Singh, J Personality and Social Psychology, 1993. Pettijohn et al., 1999, 2004

Beauty as variableOvulatory shift hypothesis

Peak shift principleEnvironmental security hypothesis

Averaging

Huang, M., Bridge, H., Kemp, M. J., & Parker, A. J. (2011). Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 1-9.

Ishizu & Zeki, PLoS one 2011

Brown, Gao, Tisdelle, et. al, Neuroimage 2011

Berridge, Current Opinion in Pharmacology 2009.

LIKINGWANTING

Langlois, J. H., et al., (2000). Psychological Bulletin, 126(3), 390-423

Kelly, DJ, et al., Dev Sci 2005, 8(6) F31-F36

Slater, A., et al., Infant Behavior and Development, 1999, 21: 345-354

Beauty as variableOvulatory shift hypothesis

Peak shift principleEnvironmental security hypothesis

Averaging

Penton-Voak, Perrett (2000), Evol & Human Behav 21: 39-48

Beauty as variableOvulatory shift hypothesis

Peak shift principleEnvironmental security hypothesis

Averaging

Jones, D., & Hill, K. Human Nature, 1993. Ache:Paraguay

Hiwi: Venezuela

Beauty as variableOvulatory shift hypothesis

Peak shift principleEnvironmental security hypothesis

Averaging

Heron-Delaney, et al., (2013) J Exp Child Psychol: 115:30-41

Petrus Camper1722-1789

Janine Antoni

Piero Manzoni