Do you like appreciating art? If you do, such love for art is quite a natural thing for humans who have brains equipped to appreciate the beauty of artwork, a recent scientific study revealed.
A study by researchers from the Emory University School of Medicine in the United States provided scientific evidence to show that the human brain is innately and almost universally wired to have a deep appreciation of art.
The researchers found out that a particular part of the human brain called ventral striatum becomes extremely active when viewing visual forms of art, but not those depicting similar images like photographs.
This part of the brain is known to be very important in decision-making and evaluating rewards, motivation, risk and novelty. This disproves the belief that art is only for a certain cultured set of individuals who have time on their hands.
The researchers reached these conclusions after making study participants view works of celebrated artists like Pablo Picasso, Vincent Van Gogh and Claude Monet. They were also made to look at photographs of similar scenes very similar to those depicting real life.
The increased activity in the ventral striatum was seen using functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The researchers particularly agreed with the hypothesis that "appeal of visual art involves activation of reward circuitry based on artistic status alone and independently of its hedonic value."
In an article on WND.com, writer Marisa Martin said these findings can have implications in various fields, particularly advertising. Advertisers may start shifting to more artful instead of real-life depictions to sell their products.
"Expect to see more paintings and graphic designs by advertising firms who keep up with science. Their best bets are popular art genres or older paintings that proved their staying power. Then a significant portion of our brains are drafted into action, even against our will," she said.
