The Brain's Masterpiece Equation: How Symmetry Reflects A Hidden Dimension Of Aesthetic Perception

What is the secret behind an artistic masterpiece? Symmetry is part of the answer. Uniting mathematics, the arts, and psychology, my interdisciplinary study argues that: (1) Aesthetic appeal is founded upon both individual subjective preferences and shared cognitive preferences; and (2) These shared cognitive preferences are informed in part by mathematical principles, specifically by symmetry. Symmetry in modern artworks elicits positive neurobiological responses in observers. The works of Jackson Pollock and Taylor Swift serve as case studies of these common neurobiological responses to visual and auditory symmetry. In-depth analysis of these two case studies establishes the existence of a new dimension of aesthetic appeal: a shared baseline of aesthetic value rooted in principles of human cognition. This shared understanding of aesthetic appeal has valuable and far-reaching implications, both for art and the world at large.Plan II Honors Progra