Al-Kire and colleagues evaluated how people evaluate artworks. They report that “Participants were randomly assigned to view original art photos created by a professional photographer that adhered to aesthetic principles, modified photos (i.e., the original photos modified to violate aesthetic principles such as the rule of thirds), or a comparison condition (photos selected from the International Affective Picture System). We hypothesized that participants would experience the highest levels of self-transcendent emotions such as awe, gratitude, moral elevation, and spiritual transcendence after viewing the original artistic stimuli. Across studies, participants reported greater state-level self-transcendent emotions but not spiritual transcendence after viewing the original photos, and we found mixed support for the effects of the modified photos. Overall, these findings provide support for the hypotheses that exposure to photographic art increases certain self-transcendent emotions, but mixed evidence as to whether adherence to aesthetic principles enhances the effect of art on these outcomes.”
Rosemary Al-Kire, Kutter Callaway, Wade Rowatt, Sarah Schnitker. “Original Photographic Art Induces Self-Transcendent Emotions.” Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity and the Arts, in press, https://doi.org/10.1037/aca0000610