Beauty, long studied by philosophers, and more recently by scientists, is simpler than we might think, New York University psychology researchers have concluded in a new analysis. Philosophers have long thought that the feeling of beauty is a special kind of pleasure, but this analysis shows that the feeling of beauty is just a very intense pleasure, nothing but special.
The researchers' analysis stretches from Plato to the 18th-century German philosopher Alexander Baumgarten to the 19th-century playwright Oscar Wilde and the early psychologist Gustav Fechner to the most recent findings in neuroscience.
Beauty matters in the daily choices we make. One of the authors' conclusions is this:certain features, such as symmetry and roundness, make things more beautiful – average.
"So one has to be careful not to generalize the beauty of these features," says the researcher. “Averages ignore the big taste differences between us.” For example, the asymmetrical beauty brand that is a trademark of the much-adored face of Marilyn Monroe is an exception to the general rule that symmetry enhances beauty.”
They also highlight empirical evidence that supports an age-old claim made by philosophers:the experience of beauty is a sense of pleasure. So, as one increases, so does the other. The researchers point to neuroscientific findings showing that such experiences increase activity in one of the "pleasure centers" in the orbitofrontal cortex.
