The Aesthetic Brain

Why do we crave beauty and art in our lives, even though they serve no direct purpose for survival? The answer lies deep in the wiring of our brains and the evolutionary story of humankind.

1. Beauty is hardwired into our brains

Our brains are designed to immediately and automatically react to beauty, especially in faces and bodies. Studies reveal that we can’t look at a person’s face without forming an opinion about its attractiveness, even without consciously realizing it. This instinctive reaction shows that beauty is deeply ingrained in human cognition.

Attractive faces activate the visual cortex of the brain, even if we’re simply comparing two faces for similarity, not attractiveness. This biological reaction suggests that we are subconsciously tuned to notice features we find appealing. This automatic response influences how we perceive others; attractive people often receive better opportunities and treatment in society, such as higher grades or better jobs.

There are three criteria that explain why we perceive faces as attractive: averageness, symmetry, and sexual dimorphism. Faces with average features, symmetrical proportions, and clearly defined gender-specific traits, like broad shoulders for men or full lips for women, are universally favored.

Examples

• Participants in a study showed stronger neural activity when seeing attractive faces, even without being asked to judge attractiveness.
• Symmetrical faces are seen as indicators of good health and strong immune systems.
• Brad Pitt’s chiseled chin and proportional features make him a classic example of perceived male beauty.

2. Our attraction to beauty is an evolutionary advantage

Humans are drawn to certain physical traits and landscapes because these preferences helped our ancestors survive. A pretty face signals good health and a strong immune system, crucial for healthy offspring. The symmetry of a face is often a biological marker of fitness, as disease and parasites tend to cause physical asymmetry.

Similarly, our attraction to specific environments ties back to survival. For example, people across cultures instinctively favor images of the African savanna, even if they’ve never been there. This is because the savanna provided ideal survival conditions for early humans: open spaces for spotting predators, trees for refuge, and abundant wildlife for food.

This evolutionary wiring ensures we prioritize connections and environments that benefited our predecessors, revealing the biological roots behind our aesthetic tendencies.

Examples

• People prefer landscapes that resemble the African savannah, complete with scattered trees and open spaces.
• Symmetrical facial features signal good genetics, making symmetry attractive across cultures.
• Ancient survival benefits from healthy partners explain why people instinctively find beauty in health-related traits.

3. External factors and culture shape our beauty standards

While our sense of beauty is rooted in biology, external circumstances and societal factors modify it. Food availability, for instance, influences ideals of body size. In cultures with abundant food, thinner bodies are preferred. During times of famine, curvier figures are seen as desirable because they signal fertility and the ability to survive scarcity.

Human cultures also exaggerate naturally attractive traits. Comic book characters, for example, display hypermasculine features like giant shoulders or super feminine traits like wide hips. Similarly, youthfulness is often glorified, with cosmetic industries profiting off products that enhance youthful appearances. This fixation on exaggerated traits reflects human tendencies to amplify the characteristics we inherently admire.

Examples

• The curvy women in Baroque-era art reflect the beauty ideals shaped by food scarcity during that time.
• Manga characters feature oversized, youthful eyes because larger eyes are biologically appealing.
• Supermodels today have facial proportions similar to those of children, highlighting society’s obsession with youth.

4. Art is part of our humanity

Across time and cultures, humans have created art, from ancient cave paintings to modern cinema. Art has been essential in human history, as even our Neanderthal ancestors expressed themselves artistically. Ancient burial sites decorated with pigments, flowers, and symbols show that art’s significance predates modern civilization.

Art, however, defies definition. While it’s often beautiful and harmonious, it can also evoke fear or sadness. For instance, Edvard Munch’s The Scream is unsettling and haunting. Art can challenge emotions and perceptions, making it a complex reflection of human experience.

Examples

• The Venus of Tan-Tan, a sculpture aged 400,000 years, is evidence of humans’ early artistic impulses.
• Edvard Munch’s The Scream evokes fear rather than beauty but is undeniably artistic.
• Marcel Duchamp’s urinal-as-art challenged the definition of what art could be.

5. Art engages multiple areas of the brain

Unlike specific functions like language, which are fixed to certain brain regions, art activates diverse parts of our brain. It stimulates our senses, evokes emotions, and engages cognitive thinking.

The sensory response to art is immediate. For visual works, the brain’s visual areas are highly stimulated, especially when the composition adheres to principles like the golden ratio. Emotionally, art can mimic real-life experiences; an image of fear can cause the viewer’s amygdala to react as if they’re feeling fear themselves. Cognitively, art challenges us to interpret, analyze, and find meaning, making it a rewarding experience.

Examples

• The golden ratio, found in structures like the Parthenon, makes the brain process its symmetry easily.
• Horror movies like Alfred Hitchcock’s thrillers trigger real fear responses in viewers.
• Understanding abstract art can feel as satisfying as solving a difficult puzzle.

6. Liking without wanting defines art appreciation

Art’s unique ability lies in engaging us without spurring possession or consumption. Unlike a desire for food or possessions, the liking we feel for art is uncoupled from wanting. This phenomenon is called "disinterested interest," as Immanuel Kant noted centuries ago.

When you view Botticelli’s The Birth of Venus, you experience pleasure from its beauty, but you don't wish to own or consume the painting. This separates the aesthetic experience from desires driven by material needs or survival instincts, setting art apart as a purely human experience.

Examples

• People enjoy listening to symphonies but feel no need to "possess" the music.
• Viewing Botticelli’s masterpieces induces admiration but not ownership cravings.
• Museum visitors admire art for its beauty without needing to purchase it.

7. The purpose of art: instinct or by-product?

Debates on why humans create art often split into two theories. One suggests that art is instinctual, stemming from an evolutionary purpose like promoting social bonds through rituals involving music or dance. Cooperating communities had better survival rates, reinforcing art’s role in connection.

Another theory posits that art is a by-product of evolution, an unintended expression of our highly developed brains. These brains, designed for survival skills like problem solving, also allow creative and imaginative thought – leading to art as an "accident" rather than a necessity.

Examples

• Ritual dances in tribes strengthen group cohesion, aiding survival.
• Some painters or poets create in solitude, challenging the idea that all art is communal.
• Art’s universal presence in every culture hints at evolutionary roots.

8. Safe environments foster artistic expression

Much like how Bengalese finches evolved complex songs when removed from survival pressures, humans developed art once their basic needs were met. Early humans, no longer fighting constant dangers, channeled their cognitive and emotional capacities to create art.

This freedom to create mirrors how Bengalese finches, freed from threats, began improvising their tunes. Without immediate survival challenges, humans could combine their evolved abilities, like imagination and abstract thinking, to write, paint, and sculpt.

Examples

• Bengalese finches, when domesticated, created more complex songs.
• Cave paintings emerged as humans began living in safer, protected environments.
• Cultures with stable food sources often prioritized artistic traditions.

9. Art is a hallmark of humanity

Art doesn’t seem to solve immediate survival problems, but it defines what it means to be human. Its roots lie in the brain’s ability to combine imagination, emotions, and reason. Art is found across every society on the planet, and even children display artistic impulses without being taught.

This universality suggests that art isn’t just a luxury but a reflection of our species’ unique capabilities to think, feel, and express.

Examples

• Children around the world naturally begin drawing before formal instruction.
• Indigenous storytelling traditions showcase art’s role in culture and memory.
• Artistic behaviors in Neanderthals reflect its deep evolutionary origins.

Takeaways

1. Pay attention to the beauty and harmony in daily life, from natural environments to human interactions, as they connect deeply with our brains' preferences.
2. Explore different forms of art and reflect on how they impact your emotions and thoughts without any expectation of ownership.
3. Encourage creativity in safe, supportive environments, knowing that freedom from stress unlocks human artistic potential.