Introduction
Have you ever wondered why those around you may like certain aesthetics or designs? In general terms, there are two main factors that affect someone’s preferred aesthetic: outer appearance and personal experiences. These could include beauty, skill, style and expression, originality, emotion, or message.
The Impact of Appearances
It would make sense to think that our preferred designs would be heavily influenced by appearances, such as colors, textures, styles, size, and shape. Although it does make an impact, it is not what someone’s aesthetic is wholly based on. According to Psychology Today, perceived beauty can be very ambiguous, unreliable, and, in some cases, the cause of disagreement. For example, if you like everything pastel and light-colored while your roommate prefers something with a darker color scheme, then there may be inevitable discrepancies within your dorm design. However, throughout the school year, as your relationship gradually strengthens, you will become more accustomed to each others’ living habits and preferred styles as well. You may find that each others’ aesthetic does not seem to be as unpleasant as you originally thought. In cases like these, psychologists say that it is likely for the person themself to not even realize how their preference has changed.
The Impact of Experiences
The second factor of determining one’s aesthetic, which can influence people to switch their preferred style based on past experience, is personal connections. Personal connections can convey many aspects of one’s life. For instance, if you eat ice cream every time you feel happy, then each time you see this soft serve, no matter how you feel, happiness would rise as the dominant emotion. That works the same with aesthetics and the brain’s preference; after numerous warm memories with your roommate, you would most likely come to like their aesthetic almost as much as you like their personality.
The two main factors that determine one’s aesthetic are appearance and personal connections. As mentioned, appearances are what most people believe to be the only factor, but they are simply the outer shell to our preferences. One will be more likely to change their aesthetic based on past experiences and the associated emotions rather than what is seen on the surface. There are still many aspects of how the human brain interacts with our emotions to make us believe in what our “preferred aesthetic” is. You may realize that your view on aesthetics is only beginning to blossom.
FAQs
Visual aesthetic preference refers to people selectively preferring certain visual stimuli that cause them to feel aesthetic pleasure [1]. For example, people tend to find symmetric human faces more attractive than less symmetric ones [2,3].
What is aesthetics in psychology? ›
The psychology of aesthetics involves the “study of our interactions with artworks; our reactions to paintings, literature, poetry, music, movies, and performances; our experiences of beauty and ugliness, our preferences and dislikes; and our everyday perceptions of things in our world—of natural and built environments ...
How do you determine aesthetic preferences? ›
In general terms, there are two main factors that affect someone's preferred aesthetic: outer appearance and personal experiences. These could include beauty, skill, style and expression, originality, emotion, or message.
What is an example of aesthetic? ›
Many of its definitions include the idea that an object is beautiful if perceiving it is accompanied by aesthetic pleasure. Among the examples of beautiful objects are landscapes, sunsets, humans and works of art. Beauty is a positive aesthetic value that contrasts with ugliness as its negative counterpart.
What is your aesthetic preference? ›
the extent to which a particular stimulus is preferred to others for reasons of beauty or taste.
What does the term aesthetic mean quizlet? ›
Aesthetics. • A branch of philosophy dealing with the nature of beauty, art, and taste and with the creation and appreciation of beauty.
How do you identify aesthetics? ›
An aesthetic is how you express yourself visually. A person who identifies with a particular aesthetic would have a dress style, a taste for interior design, a preferred medium, or a blog that carries certain visual similarities with the aesthetic.
What are some examples of aesthetic features? ›
For example, you can use allegory, alliteration, metaphor, or euphemism. Also, tools like hyperbole, irony, personification, and simile often appear in writing.
What determines aesthetics? ›
Aesthetics is a core design principle that defines a design's pleasing qualities. In visual terms, aesthetics includes factors such as balance, color, movement, pattern, scale, shape and visual weight. Designers use aesthetics to complement their designs' usability, and so enhance functionality with attractive layouts.
How do you explain what an aesthetic is? ›
: a particular theory or conception of beauty or art : a particular taste for or approach to what is pleasing to the senses and especially sight.
having a sense of the beautiful; characterized by a love of beauty. relating to, involving, or concerned with pure emotion and sensation as opposed to pure intellectuality.
What is the concept of aesthetics? ›
aesthetics, the philosophical study of beauty and taste. It is closely related to the philosophy of art, which is concerned with the nature of art and the concepts in terms of which individual works of art are interpreted and evaluated. Edmund Burke. Also spelled: esthetics.
What determines aesthetic preferences? ›
The kinds of music or artwork you have seen before deeply influence your aesthetic preference.
What is an example of aesthetic perception? ›
An aesthetic experience originates from the perceptual, cognitive and affective analyses of a stimulus and leads to several outcomes, including aesthetic judgements (e.g., “This piece of art is beautiful.”), aesthetic emotions (e.g., awe, nostalgia, and enjoyment), conscious liking or preference, and aesthetic taste ( ...
What is an example of a preference in psychology? ›
For example, you may prefer spending time outdoors, listening to music, or reading a good book. These preferences positively influence your emotions when outdoors and negatively when you're stuck indoors.
What is an aesthetic choice? ›
An aesthetic choice is a decision based on a value that is believed to enrich the life of the holder through the selection of action that the individual find pleasurable or desirable.
