The Arts and The Brain: Psychology and Physiology Beyond Pleasure

arts and the brain

A whole new volume of Progress in Brain Research, edited by Julia F. Christensen & Antoni Gomila, devoted to the psychology and neuroscience of art:

Progress in Brain Research Volume 237, Pages 2-484 (2018)

The volume includes 22 chapters written by an amazing line-up of contributors:

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The Arts, Brain and Evolution
1. Art, Symbolism and the Evolution of the Brain
2. Emergence of early art and the evolution of human culture
3. On the interaction between cultural and biological evolutionary processes in generating artistic creativity

The Arts and Psychology
4. The nature of aesthetic experience of art
5. Art appreciation as an emotional process – beyond aesthetic experience
6. The Singular Experience: Characterizing the Emotional Response to Art Beyond Pleasure
7. An empirical paper on audience responses to film

The Arts and Physiology
8. Why we like what we like? Tracking the neurophysiological responses linked to aesthetic appreciation
9. The arts as a multisensory experience
10. Interceptive predictions and aesthetic relatedness to images
11. How artists represent visual processes

The Arts and the Brain
12. Art and Brain, and integrative overview
13. Seeking Salience in Engaging Art: A Short Story about Attention, Artistic Value, and Affective Neuroscience
14. New insights from the neuroscience of dance
15. Embodied aesthetics in the visual and the performing arts

The Arts and Biology
16. Music, dance and other art forms: new insights into the links between hedonia (pleasure) and eudaimonia (well-being)
17. A systematic review of the biological impact of music
18. Biology and aesthetics in music and the visual arts
19. Alexithymia, arts and health

Arts Expertise and learning
20. Developmental perspectives on the social and emotional role of music and dance
21. Music Education and the Brain
22. Dance learning among adolescents and young adults: Insights from brain imaging and behaviour
23. Is there a moral bettering through the arts?

 

See a preview of the book here!

The Arts and the Brain: Psychology and Physiology beyond Pleasure, Volume 237, combines the work of an excellent group of experts who explain evidence on the neural and biobehavioral science of the arts. Topics covered include the emergence of early art and the evolution of human culture, the interaction between cultural and biological evolutionary processes in generating artistic creation, the nature of the aesthetic experience of art, the arts as a multisensory experience, new insights from the neuroscience of dance, a systematic review of the biological impact of music, and more.

 

Congress of the International Association of Empirical Aesthetics (IAEA)

The submission deadline for abstracts pertaining to talks/posters and the Art and Design Exhibition for the upcoming congress of the International Association of Empirical Aesthetics (IAEA), scheduled to take place at the University of Toronto from 30 August to 2 September 2018, has been extended to 8 April 2018.

Consider submitting abstracts for talks/posters on any topic falling within the broad scope of the congress (e.g., creativity, aesthetics, psychology of the arts) for consideration in our program. In addition, you can also submit an abstract in support of presenting innovative art and/or design pieces for our Art and Design Exhibition.

For submission of abstracts please visit the congress website:

http://www.iaeatoronto2018.com/

The website includes important information regarding submission guidelines for each category.

If you have any question do not hesitate to write to IAEAToronto2018@gmail.com.

 

The Unification of the Arts: Neurocognitive Perspectives on What the Arts Share and Why

Steven Brown has organized a one-day conference will explore the underlying similarities and differences among the arts, both at the cognitive and neural levels. Such factors permit syntheses of the arts, such as dancing to music, singing words, streaming background music in a movie, or blending sounds and visual elements in multimedia forms. By understanding how artforms are able to combine, we can aspire towards a unification of the arts.

Conference date: Friday, May 11, 2018

Time: 9:30 am – 5:00 pm

Place: Council Chambers, Gilmour Hall; McMaster University; Hamilton, Ontario

Speakers:

  • Ellen Dissanayake (University of Washington): origins of the arts
  • Raymond Mar (York University): literature/theatre
  • Oshin Vartanian (University of Toronto): the visual arts/architecture
  • Krista Hyde (University of Montreal): music
  • Steven Brown (McMaster University): dance
  • Anjan Chatterjee (University of Pennsylvania): aesthetics
  • Aaron Kozbelt (Brooklyn College, City University of New York): creativity
 

Organizer: Steven Brown (McMaster University)

Poster session: People are encouraged to present research findings related to cognitive and/or neural aspects of any branch of the arts at a poster session taking place during the lunch break. Abstracts should be submitted by April 20 to Matthew Berry at berryma@mcmaster.ca

Registration cost: $80 ($50 for enrolled students). This includes lunch.

To register for the conference or for more information, please visit: UniArts.info