Has it happened to you that when reading a novel, watching a play, contemplating a beautiful painting or watching a movie, you experience a type of emotion and you don't know how to express it? Emotions can be cataloged from different points of view. One of the little known classifications is that of aesthetic emotions, also called the emotions of the arts.
For the neuropsychiatrist Eric Kandel, emotions are a mechanism characteristic of human beings, which serves to give form to existence and that they have two essential functions: to avoid pain and to experience pleasure. Therefore, aesthetic emotions are linked to the need for knowledge in order to regulate and express them. In this Psychology-online article we will tell you thatWhat are aesthetic emotions, which are the most frequent and how are they perceived?.
Index
- What are aesthetic emotions
- What are the aesthetic emotions
- How aesthetic emotions are perceived
- Examples of aesthetic and artistic emotions
What are aesthetic emotions?
Do you know what aesthetic or arts emotions are? Aesthetic and artistic emotions are those that can be experienced by being in contact with the different expressions of art. In other words, they are caused by beauty and the sense of artistic or natural creation, which is achieved with painting, or a song, a book, or by any other type of art.
All people can experience aesthetic emotions at any time in their lives, since they are produced by the individual appreciation that each person has for the creations.
On the other hand, this type of emotion does not only refer to what positive, pleasant and pleasant. In fact, they can also arouse negative feelings. For example, looking at Michelangelo's Pieta we are likely to experience anguish, sadness and pain, which will depend on the individual interpretation of the observer.
However, artistic emotions can also be perceived when seeing the sunrise, for a sporting triumph or for participating in a musical composition. This is why, they are emotions that manifest at any stage of life.
What are the aesthetic emotions.
Within the expression of emotions in art, the most complex aesthetic emotion of all is the beauty. This is because it is an emotion that is experienced in real time and will depend on the meaning that the person gives to the representation.
Other aesthetic emotions are related to the sublime, the pain and sadness. In fact, they are non-verbal manifestations that are associated with the emotional expression of the different authors and artistic creators.
It is a connection that is born from sensitivity to what is observed and heard. In such a way that aesthetic emotions are not learned, but born from observation and experimentation and, in turn, are integrated into the sensations.
Now that you know that you can also be the issuer of these aesthetic emotions at any time in your life, we suggest you carry out this Artistic interest test so that you can identify what your favorite artistic activity is and start expressing your feelings.
How aesthetic emotions are perceived.
As we already mentioned, aesthetic emotions are produced because some expression of art (or natural creation) impresses the individual cognitive and affective state. In this sense, many neuroscientists affirm that these emotions are categorized in the brain according to the relevance and modulation that people give them.
This type of artistic emotions are identified through different facial parameters, voice changes, body postures, among other elements. Although the real time in which the bodily and emotional response will occur is not yet known for sure. Really, these are manifestations that start from the individual perspective and, as such, are perceived in different ways.
For their part, artists use different codes (signs and symbols) to communicate their feelings. Artistic emotions or aesthetic emotions can express themselves through dance, music, painting and endless artistic compositions with different constituent elements to give it the desired shape. In short, the artist expresses what he feels to generate these emotions in the viewers.
Examples of aesthetic and artistic emotions.
If we talk about artistic emotions, there are many examples of aesthetic emotions that we can cite. For example, Goya's painting "Munch's Scream" can provoke emotions such as anger, rage or disgust. There are also many examples of aesthetic and artistic emotions, such as:
- Sadness when reading a novel or watching a movie.
- Surprise when seeing a documentary or an architectural work.
- Joy when listening to a symphony or an opera, among many others.
Undoubtedly, art encourages different emotional reactions, favors creativity and allows a direct connection between the creator and the receiver. In fact, due to its relevance, it is already common to manage aesthetic emotions from early childhood education to promote rapprochement and social interaction from an early age.
If you liked this article about aesthetic emotions, we recommend you expand your knowledge with our posts What is art therapy: exercises, techniques and benefits; Y therapeutic writing exercises.
This article is merely informative, in Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.
If you want to read more articles similar to Aesthetic emotions: what they are, what they are and examples, we recommend that you enter our category of Emotions.
Bibliography
- Bernal, I. (2007): Emotions and social intelligence: the keys to an alliance between feelings and reason, Barcelona, Ariel.
- Gonzalez, L et al. (2010): Emotions and feelings, interdisciplinary approaches: the social construction of love, Cuenca, Editions of the University of Castilla-La Mancha.
- Menninghaus, W., Wagner, V., Wassiliwizky, E., Schindler, I., Hanich, J., Jacobsen, T., & Koelsch, S. (2019). What are aesthetic emotions? Psychological Review, 126(2), 171–195. https://doi.org/10.1037/rev0000135
