Our Brains Are Made for Enjoying Art

Analysis Suggests Art Appreciation Is a Natural Biological Process
By ANN LUKITS

The human brain is built for art appreciation, suggests a meta-analysis that looked at studies mapping brain processes linked to the arts.

Viewing paintings engages a number of different regions of the brain, suggesting art appreciation is a natural biological process, according to the report in the June issue of the journal Brain and Cognition. The study found that paintings activated areas of the brain involved in vision, pleasure, memory, recognition and emotions, in addition to systems that underlie the conscious processing of new information to give it meaning.



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