Physiological correlates of aesthetic perception of artworks in a museum.

TLDR

Aesthetic experience has traditionally been studied in the humanities, with skepticism toward scientific methods, although laboratory studies suggest artworks can elicit emotional and physiological responses, yet external validity has been limited. The study aimed to monitor aesthetic perception in a fine‑art museum while preserving visitors’ freedom of choice. Participants wore electronic gloves that continuously recorded locomotion, heart rate, and skin conductance, and completed a questionnaire assessing emotional and aesthetic responses to selected works. Among 373 adults, physiological responses were significantly linked to aesthetic‑emotional experiences, with dimensions such as Aesthetic Quality, Surprise/Humor, Dominance, and Curatorial Quality correlating with heart‑rate variability, heart‑rate level, and skin‑conductance variability, providing first evidence that aesthetics can be statistically grounded in viewers’ physiology in an ecologically valid gallery setting.

Abstract

Arts experts are commonly skeptical of applying scientific methods to aesthetic experiencing, which remains a field of study predominantly for the humanities. Laboratory research has however indicated that artworks may elicit emotional and physiological responses. Yet, this line of aesthetics research has previously suffered from insufficient external validity. We therefore conducted a study in which aesthetic perception was monitored in a fine-art museum, unrestricting to the viewers’ freedom of aesthetic choice. Visitors were invited to wear electronic gloves through which their locomotion, heart rate and skin conductance were continuously recorded. Emotional and aesthetic responses to selected works of an exhibition were assessed using a customized questionnaire. In a sample of 373 adult participants, we found that physiological responses during perception of an artwork were significantly related to aesthetic-emotional experiencing. The dimensions ‘Aesthetic Quality’, ‘Surprise/Humor’, ‘Dominance’ and ‘Curatorial Quality’ were associated with cardiac measures (heart rate variability, heart rate level) and skin conductance variability. This is first evidence that aesthetics can be statistically grounded in viewers’ physiology in an ecologically valid environment, the art gallery, enhancing our understanding of the effects of artworks and their curatorial staging.