Neuroaesthetics uses the tools of psychology and neuroscience to understand the nature of aesthetic experiences, such as when a person is emotionally moved by artworks, landscapes or music. Aesthetic experiences engage processes of sensation, comprehension and valuation. Aesthetic appreciation is not determined solely by a stimulus, but by the interaction between a stimulus and a perceiver, in a manner dependent on their understanding and background knowledge. Aesthetic appreciation modulates a broad network of brain regions, including higher-level portions of sensory pathways, reward circuitry, the medial and orbital prefrontal cortex, and the default-mode network.
Neuroaesthetics
Moving aesthetic experiences may involve interactions between externally-focused networks (e.g. visual pathways, pink) and the internally focused default-mode network (DMN, yellow).
Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics
