Blots and blurs and bars and balls and hoops and wriggles and juxtaposed jottings
Our brains appear to have an intrinsic response to “art for art’s sake,” researchers at Emory University School of Medicine have found.
Imaging research has revealed that the ventral striatum, a region of the brain involved in experiencing pleasure, decision-making and risk-taking, is activated more when someone views a painting than when someone views a plain photograph.
The images viewed by study participants included paintings from both unknown and well-known artists. (…)
The idea for the study was based on work by marketing experts Henrik Hagtvedt (now at Boston College) and Vanessa Patrick (now at the University of Houston). Hagtvedt and Patrick had investigated the “art infusion” effect, where the presence of a painting on a product’s advertising or packaging makes it more appealing.
