Social groups and polarization of aesthetic values from symmetry and complexity
Abstract When deciding what images we prefer, our brain must weigh many aesthetic variables, such as symmetry and complexity. To date, aesthetic research has mainly focused on investigating one variable at a time. In this article, we use symmetry and complexity to study the problem of multi aestheti...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2023-12-01
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| Series: | Scientific Reports |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-47835-w |
| _version_ | 1797397999145451520 |
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| author | Kathleen B. Mather Hassan Aleem Yewon Rhee Norberto M. Grzywacz |
| author_facet | Kathleen B. Mather Hassan Aleem Yewon Rhee Norberto M. Grzywacz |
| author_sort | Kathleen B. Mather |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract When deciding what images we prefer, our brain must weigh many aesthetic variables, such as symmetry and complexity. To date, aesthetic research has mainly focused on investigating one variable at a time. In this article, we use symmetry and complexity to study the problem of multi aesthetic-variable interactions. For symmetry and complexity, there are two simple interaction hypotheses. The independence hypothesis proposes that the evaluation of aesthetic variables is mutually independent. Meanwhile, Birkhoff’s aesthetic-measure hypothesis predicts that people prefer images high in symmetry and low in complexity, and dislike the opposite. To test these hypotheses, we generated images that systematically varied in levels of symmetry and complexity. We then compared the subjects’ preference maps to identify regions of likes and dislikes. Unlike the predictions from these hypotheses, we found that most, but not all subjects, formed two distinct natural clusters, termed “islands,” in terms of likes and dislikes. We also found that people with more art exposure were less likely to belong to an island. If someone did belong to an island, their gender influenced which cluster they belonged to. We discuss alternate hypotheses, possible mechanisms for the occurrence of islands, and their possible social implications. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T01:19:19Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-32d7a45f250d48488310b5030c08e004 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2045-2322 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T01:19:19Z |
| publishDate | 2023-12-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Scientific Reports |
| spelling | doaj.art-32d7a45f250d48488310b5030c08e0042023-12-10T12:15:42ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222023-12-0113111310.1038/s41598-023-47835-wSocial groups and polarization of aesthetic values from symmetry and complexityKathleen B. Mather0Hassan Aleem1Yewon Rhee2Norberto M. Grzywacz3Department of Psychology, Loyola University ChicagoDepartment of Molecular Pharmacology and Neuroscience, Loyola University ChicagoDepartment of Molecular Pharmacology and Neuroscience, Loyola University ChicagoDepartment of Psychology, Loyola University ChicagoAbstract When deciding what images we prefer, our brain must weigh many aesthetic variables, such as symmetry and complexity. To date, aesthetic research has mainly focused on investigating one variable at a time. In this article, we use symmetry and complexity to study the problem of multi aesthetic-variable interactions. For symmetry and complexity, there are two simple interaction hypotheses. The independence hypothesis proposes that the evaluation of aesthetic variables is mutually independent. Meanwhile, Birkhoff’s aesthetic-measure hypothesis predicts that people prefer images high in symmetry and low in complexity, and dislike the opposite. To test these hypotheses, we generated images that systematically varied in levels of symmetry and complexity. We then compared the subjects’ preference maps to identify regions of likes and dislikes. Unlike the predictions from these hypotheses, we found that most, but not all subjects, formed two distinct natural clusters, termed “islands,” in terms of likes and dislikes. We also found that people with more art exposure were less likely to belong to an island. If someone did belong to an island, their gender influenced which cluster they belonged to. We discuss alternate hypotheses, possible mechanisms for the occurrence of islands, and their possible social implications.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-47835-w |
| spellingShingle | Kathleen B. Mather Hassan Aleem Yewon Rhee Norberto M. Grzywacz Social groups and polarization of aesthetic values from symmetry and complexity Scientific Reports |
| title | Social groups and polarization of aesthetic values from symmetry and complexity |
| title_full | Social groups and polarization of aesthetic values from symmetry and complexity |
| title_fullStr | Social groups and polarization of aesthetic values from symmetry and complexity |
| title_full_unstemmed | Social groups and polarization of aesthetic values from symmetry and complexity |
| title_short | Social groups and polarization of aesthetic values from symmetry and complexity |
| title_sort | social groups and polarization of aesthetic values from symmetry and complexity |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-47835-w |
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