Experiences of Ugliness in Nature and Urban environments

In folk psychology experiences of ugliness are associated with the negation beauty and disorder, but empirical evidence is remarkably rare. Here, participants (called informed) took 102 photographs ugly landscapes urban scenes reflected on their experiences. Later, naïve to intentional in rated higher than informed participants. The ratings for were similar two cohorts. Reflective notes revealed that emotional visual could overlap (e.g. decay), was more frequently fear death landscapes, sadness disgust scenes. findings uncovered a complex layer associations. Experiences triggered by perceived contingent composite socio-cultural, emotional, evolutionary factors. Rather being endpoint an aesthetic scale culminating beauty, seems be experienced as independent experience its own processing streams.