25.04.2012Beauty is in the brain of the beholder

Prof. Dr. Lars Kuchinke, Experimental Psychology and Methods, Faculty of Psychology

Current psychological and neuroscientific research show that beautiful objects are processed differently in the brain than less beautiful ones. Interestingly this processing always seems to occur through activation of emotional circuits in the brain.
Lars Kuchinke’s talk will give insights into current research and theories of perception of aesthetic objects, and their processing in the brain, and will refer to approaches of evolutionary theory. In doing so it will be necessary to clarify which definition of beauty is used in this kind of research, and whether this definition can contribute to our understanding of art and kitsch.