The Arts and The Brain: Psychology and Physiology Beyond Pleasure

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.

Builds bridges and makes new connections between neuroscientists, psychologists and the arts worldUnravels the neural, neuroendocrine, physiological, hormonal and evolutionary dimensions of the artsContains chapters from true authorities in the field

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?