With cooler weather finally here, it’ll come as no surprise that you commonly hear phrases such as “fall aesthetics” or “fall vibes” thrown around. What comes to mind when you hear this? Probably a warm sweater, or maybe some crisp orange leaves. Maybe even a cup of steaming apple cider. Why is this? Why do we find certain perceptions of things more appealing than others? And why do some of our friends enjoy aesthetics that are drastically different from our own taste?
The answer lies in a new and developing field of research called neuroaesthetics. The direct answer is that certain visual images such as flowers, landscapes, or butterflies (things that most people find aesthetically pleasing) activate two parts of our brain at once. While your mind is busy physically visualizing what is in front of you, another part of your brain that is stimulated when your mind “wanders”, for lack of a better word, is also activated. Therefore, what you’re looking at has the ability to make your mind think about subliminal thoughts such as memories or thoughts of the future. Some images may even allow you to think and reflect on yourself!
For example, in relating back to the “fall aesthetics” I mentioned earlier, say you find a picture of an autumn landscape up in Vermont to be aesthetically pleasing. Looking at such a landscape could allow you to think of traveling somewhere like that one day, maybe with friends, family, or a significant other. Or it could bring you back to the time when you went on a family trip to the forest when you were younger. Either way, you have an emotional connection with that landscape that your brain picks up on, thus causing you to enjoy that view or aesthetic more than others that you may have no emotional or subliminal connection to.
Basically, aesthetics are a way that we as human beings connect our senses to our emotions. Because each individual person experiences different things throughout their life and feels certain ways about things, not everyone will enjoy the same aesthetics as their friends or family. You might enjoy fall aesthetics, while someone else enjoys dark accudemia aesthetics, meanwhile someone else loves cottagecore aesthetics. It’s all about what you can emotionally relate to in some way shape or form! So next time you think about what your own aesthetic pleasure is, just remember: it’s your brain digging deep to connect your sight to your mind!
Info in article obtained from
https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2017/11/10/neuroaesthetics-cover/