Aesthetic Pleasure Explained

Aesthetic Pleasure versus Aesthetic Interest: The Two Routes to Aesthetic Liking

Although existing research has established that aesthetic pleasure and aesthetic interest are two distinct positive aesthetic responses, empirical research on aesthetic preferences usually considers only aesthetic liking to capture participants' aesthetic response. This causes some fundamental contradictions in the literature; some studies find a positive relationship between easy-to-process st...

Commentary: Aesthetic Pleasure versus Aesthetic Interest: The Two Routes to Aesthetic Liking

The Architect's Wunderkammer: Aesthetic Pleasure & Engagement in Electronic Spaces

We are currently exploring the design and uses of collaborative computational settings within architectural design and planning. One of our approaches builds on the metaphor of Wunderkammer. The Wunderkammer was imagined (and a first prototype of it is being developed) in talking about architectural practice and the need for ready access to a wide range of inspirational objects in this process ...

Aesthetic Emotions and Aesthetic People: Openness Predicts Sensitivity to Novelty in the Experiences of Interest and Pleasure

There is a stable relationship between the Openness/Intellect domain of personality and aesthetic engagement. However, neither of these are simple constructs and while the relationship exists, process based evidence explaining the relationship is still lacking. This research sought to clarify the relationship by evaluating the influence of the Openness and Intellect aspects on several different...

Processing fluency and aesthetic pleasure: is beauty in the perceiver's processing experience?

We propose that aesthetic pleasure is a function of the perceiver's processing dynamics: The more fluently perceivers can process an object, the more positive their aesthetic response. We review variables known to influence aesthetic judgments, such as figural goodness, figure-ground contrast, stimulus repetition, symmetry, and prototypicality, and trace their effects to changes in processing f...