Culture constitutes a core condition for human experiences, and it was often assumed that higher collectivism/lower individualism are typical for Asian as compared to European cultures. Evidence, however, was ambiguous. In the present study ( N = 79), we studied whether collectivism in preferences is seen in terms of a relatively higher level of shared tastes. We employed beholder indices/taste typicality

According to prominent philosophical views, appreciating beauty involves psychological distancing, where one does not consider the beautiful object in light of practical interests, and beauty leads to transformative and self-transcendent affective experiences. In this study (N = 187), conducted in the naturalistic environment of a museum, we explored these ideas. Half the participants were instructed

The study of creativity has been increasing due to its link with critical thinking and problem-solving. However, no scales have been found that evaluate this variable in distinct domains in the Spanish population. This study attempts to validate the K-DOCS using 821 undergraduates, and its factorial invariance according to sex. Correlations between creativity factors and attitude towards the Didactics

This study explores the relationship between DJs’ behaviors, audience positive affect, and perceptions of music and the performer at live electronic dance music (EDM) events. Despite the DJ's central role in creating event atmosphere, little empirical research exists on how their actions impact audience experience. A field study was conducted in various EDM clubs in Belgium, recording DJ performances

Artistic paintings and photographs are often used as alternatives to direct experiences of nature, and some may have restorative health effects not yet fully understood. This study examined if/how anxiety, sensory mental imagery, and prior exposure to nature impacted aesthetic and affective responses (AAR) to environmental scenes. Participants ( n = 368) evaluated nature and urban scenes via three

This study investigated associations of exposure to Fernando Botero's artwork with fatphobia. Using two 2 × 2 designs, participants were exposed to Botero's work and paintings with nudity. Implicit bias was measured using an Implicit Association Test, while explicit bias was assessed with the Fatphobia scale. Results showed that exposure to Botero's art was associated with reduced implicit bias against

Magic is an art form that creates illusory experiences of impossibility by generating a conflict between what we witness and what we believe about the world. The uniqueness of this art has intrigued researchers for over a century. The present study explores the social representations of magic among magicians and non-magicians to understand how these groups perceive magic. Utilizing the framework of

While art, nature, and social interactions are key elements of a healthy culture and lifestyle, how nature and social factors in paintings impact the viewer experience still remains unclear. This study aimed to explore how the number of depicted people, the presence of interpersonal touch, and the setting (indoor vs. outdoor) affect art preference. A total of 420 paintings were rated (online survey)

Music is more than just background noise—it shapes emotions, reinforces identity, and enhances engagement. This study examined the association between the adaptive functions of music listening and student engagement in Physical Education among first- and second-year college students in the Philippines. Findings revealed that music listening for adaptive functioning is significantly associated with

Prior literature has shown that arts & humanities (A&H) engagement enhances flourishing; however, much of the existing literature has focused primarily on White American samples, creating a lack of evidence around the impacts of A&H on Black American flourishing. Furthermore, despite significant evidence demonstrating the impact of the arts on psychological, physical, and interpersonal flourishing

In this study, we investigate the differential impact of artistic versus documentary dystopian imagery of climate change using an experimental design (N = 1155, German access panel). We present supporting evidence for the hypotheses that abstract artworks depicting dystopian scenarios of climate change, compared to documentary photographs, lead to higher aesthetic judgments, are likely to evoke stronger

The dance art form involves audiovisual dual modality perception, and research is unclear regarding the original accompanying music, the audience's emotional response to the dance/music, and the impact of dance training on the audiovisual dual modality recognition and experience of emotion in dance. This study is a mixed experimental design that was adopted: 2 (presentation modality: audiovisual bimodal

Research has shown that pseudo-profound bullshit titles increase the perceived profundity of art. The current study asks whether this effect extends to memory. Participants rated the liking and perceived profundity of artist-created and AI-generated paintings, paired with mundane or pseudo-profound bullshit titles. Approximately 24 h later, participants completed an old/new recognition test, including

This research investigates the influence of being a painter and intellectuality on mate preferences. Two studies were conducted to explore the relationships between being a painter and mate preferences. Study 1 analyzed 192 participants who rated painters, ideal partners, and themselves using a set of adjectives. Results revealed significant correlations between the cognitive abilities attributed to

Several studies have investigated crossmodal associations involving audiovisual stimuli. To date, however, far fewer studies have explored the relationship between musical timbre and visual features (e.g., soft/harsh timbres with blue/red colours). To fill this gap in the literature, 249 participants were invited to judge the match between different coloured images and musical excerpts. The images

The cultural-match effect on art appreciation refers to a higher aesthetic evaluation of artworks that match the viewers’ cultural background. The present study examines this effect in Western adolescents. We hypothesized longer viewing time (H1) and higher art appreciation (H2) for culturally matching (Western) than mismatching (Eastern) paintings. Representing three age groups (12–13, 14–15, and

Contextual information can shape the aesthetic judgements of music compositions. Recently, a study proposed the existence of an AI composer bias; namely, listeners tend to like music less when they think (or are told) that it was composed by an AI. In this online study ( N = 120), we used a cross-over experimental design to verify whether such bias extends to audiovisual music performance. The participants

We aimed to impact social connectedness and perspective taking using visual art-based psychoeducational materials and skill-building exercises. Participants ( N = 381) were assigned to one of three conditions. Within the perspective taking condition, people took different viewpoints when viewing art. Within the social connection condition, people considered how art can help in reflecting on their relationships

The emergence of dynamic digital arts, such as dynamic generative art, has reshaped how aesthetic experiences can be studied, emphasizing their inherently dynamic and evolving nature. Within the framework of computational aesthetics, which seeks to model and quantify human perceptions of beauty, this study extends the focus from static to dynamic stimuli. We investigate the temporal relationship between

The empirical study of the arts would greatly benefit from truly interdisciplinary research. The diverse epistemic perspectives of the main disciplines concerned with researching the artistic experience (humanities, psychology, natural sciences) pose, however, a challenge to their collaboration. Rather than starting from a conceptual definition of art, we take a theoretical, cognitive-semiotic stance

There is some evidence that the best strategy for remembering text-based information is drawing when using a mixed list design where participants both draw and write in the same list. There is also some evidence that the memory benefits of drawing are reduced when using a pure list design where participants draw or write in separate lists. In this study ( n = 91), we compared three encoding strategies

This study explored the relationship between nostalgia and aesthetic evaluations of visual art in the form of landscape paintings. Participants evaluated a hundred different paintings for the level of nostalgia they evoked, their beauty, positive and negative valences, arousal, and familiarity. The results indicated an association between feelings of nostalgia and beauty. Furthermore, nostalgia correlated

Art has proven be an asset in maintaining and enhancing our wellbeing. Following a recent field study, the present laboratory investigation assessed whether and to what extent an interaction with art in urban public spaces can positively impact experienced wellbeing. Participants watched videos simulating an interaction with a parking-lot-sized intervention decorated with art, greenery (active control)

Art-viewing is a defining component of society and culture, in part because the experience involves a wide-range and nuanced configuration of emotional and cognitive responses. Precisely because of this complexity, however, questions of the actual nature, scope, and variety of art experience remain largely unanswered: what kinds of patterns do we exhibit, how do various components go together, and

Empirical aesthetics focuses on understanding how perceptual features shape aesthetic preferences, with symmetry being a key aspect. However, recent studies show variation in symmetry preference across samples and stimuli. Our study aims to explore the boundaries of symmetry preference, particularly in relation to meaning, prototypicality and expertise in visual arts. With our stimuli we can test the

We explore cultural participation's impact on subjective well-being in Cluj Metropolitan Area. Using telephone surveys, we identify a positive correlation between cultural engagement and increased well-being, mediated by cultural appraisal. Three primary participation types—active, receptive, and entertainment-related—are identified. Active and entertainment-related activities indirectly enhance well-being

Subjective fluency affects preference evaluation in daily objects through two routes: increasing preference (‘hedonic effect’) and amplifying valence effects on preference (‘amplifying effect’). Contrarily, empirical aesthetics suggest that contextual knowledge, the primary source of fluency, prevents valence-dependent appreciation, challenging the amplifying effect model. Here, we examined the dual

The growing psychology of magic field explores how spectators understand, appreciate, and experience this ancient performing art. The present research explored how skeptical, superstitious, and paranormal beliefs predict the enjoyment of magic. A sample of American adults ( n = 292) completed a measure of magic attitudes (the Loathing of Legerdemain Scale) along with many measures of (1) skeptical

The present study investigated the determinants affecting students’ actual use through the use of a video-conferencing platform, and how actual use affects dance engagement, for enhancing the learning experience in the domain of dance education, particularly Philippine Traditional Dances. Therefore, this predictive-causal study aimed to assess the effect of actual use (by adopting Technology Acceptance

Paul Locher passed away on 20 August 2024. Paul was an outstanding scientist and a central figure in the field of empirical aesthetics. He made important contributions to numerous areas including the study of symmetry, balance, facial attractiveness, museum behaviour, artwork composition and restoration, and aesthetics of food, but in particular to the study of eye movements in aesthetic appreciation

This paper describes how computational generative models can describe aspects of the artistic process, and how these generative models can provide tools for formulating and testing psychological theories of art. The term “generative models” here refers to algorithms that can generate artistic imagery, video, text, or other artistic media, including techniques developed in both computer graphics and

Mental health is relevant to every individual. Poor mental health and well-being contribute significantly to personal suffering and a substantial burden on society. Art and cooking therapies in complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) are flexible approaches that emphasize engagement and growth to promote mental health and well-being, are easy to perform, accessible when needed, and can be self-administered

Viewing artworks through virtual reality (VR) offers a unique experience, yet understanding how individual traits and motivations affect this process requires further exploration. In this study, we empirically examined the factors influencing aesthetic experiences when viewing artworks in VR. We conducted two experiments using a between-subjects design with VR and 2D videos based on a virtual tour

The primary aim of this research is to investigate the immediate influence of students’ personal experiences and their degree of interest in traditional dances of the Philippines in relation to preservation efforts. Respondents for the study are students from a higher education institution in the Philippines. After obtaining data and performing multiple regression analysis, it was observed that overall

Recent evidence suggests that the artwork of an experienced artist is usually more expensive than that of a beginner. Additionally, the artwork of a man is often more expensive than that of a woman, and a painting is typically more expensive than graphics. However, this research aims to contrast the influence of the author's age and sex on the price with the influence of the artwork's material and

The present study tested the effect of title type on the aesthetic evaluation of Japanese poetry. Ninety participants read a Japanese poem presented with either a “descriptive” title, an “elaborative” title, or no title. Participants then gave ratings according to their aesthetic experiences on the poem. The results revealed that the title type significantly influenced the readers’ aesthetic evaluations

Body dissatisfaction is likely to be particularly salient in aesthetically focused professions, including the performing arts. However, there is a paucity of research involving male theatre performers. This study addressed this omission by exploring how male musical theatre actors experience body image. Interviews were conducted with 7 male performers and analysed using reflexive thematic analysis

Openness to experience is one of the least studied traits in relation to subjective well-being, despite its potential as a resource that enables flourishing. In this study, we therefore focused on this particular trait and examined whether its relation to subjective well-being is explained by receptive (Studies 1 and 2) and participatory arts engagement (Study 2) using data from the GESIS Panel ( N

Contrapposto, an asymmetrical twisting of the hips and shoulders, has historically been associated with beauty and aesthetics in art. While the impact of a female contrapposto posture on perception of attractiveness and visual attention has been studied, its effects on males remain understudied. The current research aims to explore whether contrapposto postures in men influence perceptions of attractiveness

There is a high interest in art's change potential towards sustainability. Yet, there is still a lot unknown about this change potential, including from the perspective of artists themselves. The research questions, thus, are: Do artists who create climate-related art have goals and target audiences regarding their climate-related work? If so, which goals and audiences do they aim for, and why? 30

Using a digital environment, this study tested how setting (museum vs. street), reputation (established vs. unestablished), and style (abstract vs. representational) affected people's aesthetic perception of art. Art novices, quasi-experts, and experts were randomly assigned to rate paintings that varied in setting, reputation, and style. Although there was no significant main effect of setting, follow-up

Aesthetic production, that is, the processing of material with a focus on the experiential and formal qualities of resulting objects and the process itself, encompasses basic dimensions of art, creativity, craft, and design. To explore these dimensions, we propose the Rubicon model of action phases as a general framework. Additionally, we introduce Schiller's aesthetics as an interactive account of

An exploratory study was conducted investigating the concept of beauty related to music listening—“musical beauty.” The study implemented an online qualitative questionnaire aimed to evaluate how listeners construe the concept of beauty, the pieces of music considered to be beautiful, and the intrinsic and/or extrinsic features that listeners attribute to musical pieces being considered as “most beautiful

The Barnes Foundation is a traditional art collection and it is one of a kind as for the assorted hanging of the paintings. The sophisticated wall compositions by Albert Barnes were created as a tool for art education, and they have not been altered since 1951. Today, we are interested whether Barnes’ taste withstood the test of time. We asked participants in an online study to create their own hangings

Previous research revealed that meaning in life is related positively to psychological engagement with art (i.e., aesthetic engagement), such as interest in art, knowledge about art, awe around art, and supernatural attributions for art experiences. We extended this work by considering the relevance of dispositions toward aesthetics (i.e., aesthetic dispositions), such as openness to experience, creativity

Do aesthetic preferences for images of neatly organized compositions (e.g., images collected on blogs like Things Organized Neatly©) generalize across cultures? In an earlier study, focusing on stimulus and personal properties related to order and complexity, Western participants indicated their preference for one of two simultaneously presented images (100 pairs). In the current study, we compared

The field of interdisciplinary art education, particularly through digital game-based learning, lacks empirical research on the art learning process and the competencies gained along the process. To address this research gap, this study collects data through experiment and post-experiment interviews from 20 science and engineering college students who participated in a 1-month digital game-based art

The link between music and emotion, as articulated from a cognitive perspective, assumes that music carries expressive cues that convey or induce emotional responses in listeners. Studies following this paradigm often investigate how responses converge or diverge among individuals, social groups, and cultures. However, results vary from one study to another, with few satisfactory explanations as to

This article examines the role of epistemic value, and social value on behavioral intentions and the relationship between these three factors as antecedents of word of mouth (WOM) and electronic word of mouth (eWOM) in the opera sector. The effects of these antecedents are investigated using a multimethod approach combining partial least square and necessary condition analysis. A quantitative study

In this study, we examined the associations between music preferences, uses of music and personality factors and facets. The sample included 449 participants (50% female, M = 23.59, SD = 2.14) who indicated preferences for international and regional music styles that were classified into Reflective and Complex, Intense and Rebellious, Upbeat and Conventional, Energetic and Rhythmic, and Regional preferences

Vague, impressive language used in descriptions (bullshit) is thought to make art seem more profound and valuable to the viewer. We studied the effect during art exhibitions in real-life gallery-goers who saw paintings of four artists, each with either simplified, neutral, or bullshitty description. We crafted a typical description of each painting, which we later manipulated in terms of language.

Results remain mixed regarding the effects of incubation tasks on divergent thinking, a type of creativity, generally assessed via the Unusual Uses Task (UUT). Using a within-subjects design, we compared 64 participants’ performance on the UUT, after four different incubation tasks: copy a simple painting, copy a complex painting, 0-back-task, and rest. We hypothesized that an arts-related activity

The aim of this study is to provide a phenomenological description of the art experience and by doing so, explaining why art is generally associated with an emotional response, but talked about in cognitive terms. The study is based on a microgenetic experiment in which the informants, prior to an interview, encounter a work of art by the American artist Eric Orr. The work consists of a pitch-black

We sought to understand the common interaction between music, information and visual art. The evoked affect of college students (N = 47, F = 35, M = 11, NB = 1) were measured via The Implicit Posit...

Everyday objects have often been used in contemporary art since Marcel Duchamp introduced the concept of the ready-made. However, it is not clear how everyday objects are perceived in art contexts ...

Art experts generally perceive, process, and appreciate artworks differently from non-experts. Here we explored whether animacy of the content and prestige of the context of artworks matter to expe...

Research findings in cognitive literary studies show that lifetime exposure to literary versus popular fiction has a differential association with social cognition processes such as psychological e...

This research is framed within the study of automatic recognition of emotions in artworks, proposing a methodology to improve performance in detecting emotions when a network is trained with an ima...

The emotions that can be considered members of the set of Aesthetic Emotions (AEs) is controversial. The present study investigated the terms used by researchers in peer reviewed studies to exempli...

Embodied cognition claims that how we move our body is central for experience. Exploring dimensions of bodily engagement should, therefore, also be central for engaging art. However, little attenti...