The Psychology of Attractiveness and Aesthetics : How We Perceive Beauty in People and Artwork

This book offers a comprehensive and accessible exploration of the concept of attractiveness and aesthetics through a multidisciplinary lens.

This book offers a comprehensive and accessible exploration of the concept of attractiveness and aesthetics through a multidisciplinary lens. It addresses the fundamental questions: what makes something attractive, why humans are drawn to particular forms, and how we process and evaluate beauty in both people and artworks. Intertwining psychological, biological and cultural insights, it reveals the evolutionary underpinnings of what is deemed attractive in humans across different contexts. It uncovers how the brain processes aesthetic experiences using the latest techniques and insights from neuroscience. From there, it explores people’s motivation to enhance their appearance to align with both societal and biological ideals of attractiveness, whether through natural means or artificial interventions. It also discusses the role of nonverbal cues in shaping attraction and perception. In addition to human appearance, the book explores our attraction to artworks and visual compositions: why do we prefer certain shapes, patterns, and styles? What makes some designs more visually appealing than others? It shows how this is shaped by psychological and cultural factors -- and why some pieces of art are universally admired. Grounded in scientific research, yet written in accessible and engaging language, this book has broad appeal among students and researchers in psychology, evolutionary biology, neuroscience, anthropology and design; practitioners in beauty, fashion, art and product design; and the general reader wanting a fascinating insight into what guides our sense of beauty in everyday life.