Understanding the Beauty Appreciation Trait: Empirical Research on Seeking Beauty in All Things

by Rhett Diessner

Overview

This book takes the reader on a grand tour of the empirical research concerning the personality trait of appreciation of beauty. It particularly focuses on engagement with natural beauty, engagement with artistic beauty, and engagement with moral beauty. The book addresses philosophers’ thoughts about beauty, especially the special emphasis on the intimate relationship between love and beauty; appreciation of beauty from an evolutionary standpoint; and the emerging science of neuroaesthetics. The book concludes with a consideration of beauty and pedagogy/andragogy, as well as methodologies to increase appreciation of beauty.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9783030323356
Publisher:	Springer International Publishing
Publication date:	11/23/2019
Edition description:	1st ed. 2019
Pages:	265
Product dimensions:	5.83(w) x 8.27(h) x 0.00(d)

About the Author

Rhett Diessner is Professor of Psychology at Lewis-Clark State College, USA. He has published in such journals as Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity and the Arts, Journal of Aesthetic Education, and Ecopsychology.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction: Why Beauty?.- Part I: Foundations.- 2. Brainiac Beauty: Philosophers and Beauty—What Some
Philosophers Have to Say About Beauty That Is Relevant to Empirical Aesthetics (Or Possibly Just Interesting).- 3. Beauty Becomes: Evolving Beauty.- 4. The Brain on Beauty: Neuroaesthetics.- Part II: Domains of Beauty.- 5. Noticing Nature's Beauty: The Trait of Engagement with Natural Beauty.- 6. Always Appreciative of Art's Beauty: The Trait of Engagement with Artistic Beauty.- 7. Magnificent Moral Beauty: The Trait of Engagement with Moral Beauty.- Part III: Human Development and Beauty.- 8. Beauty and the Be(a)st: Aesthetics and Pedagogy.- 9. Bountiful Beauty: Increasing Appreciation of Beauty.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“Most scientific books on aesthetics focus on universal and generalizable principles. Rhett Diessner also does so in reviewing the psychological and neuroscience of the human experience of beauty. What sets this book apart from many others is that he also considers individual differences and how personality traits affect our aesthetic sensibilities. If you wonder why people vary in their appreciation of beauty, this is a book worth reading.” (Anjan Chatterjee, professor of neurology at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, USA)

“Brilliant, insightful, enjoyable, and inspirational. Rhett provides a remarkable analysis of appreciation of beauty that is both accurate and approachable. A pleasure to read!” (María Luisa Martínez-Martí, Universidad Camilo José Cela, Spain)

“In his book, Rhett Diessner presents a challenging perspective of theories and empirical evidences in the growing field of the psychological trait of aestheticappreciation, or engagement with beauty, as he fine-tunes the term. Alongside the array of the newest scientific results the author unfolds his own aesthetic experience, sharing with us his thrilling and contagious sense of engagement with different kinds of beauty: natural, artistic, moral, and beauty of ideas.” (Pavel Sabadosh, Research Scientist, Laboratory of Psychology of Abilities and Mental Resources, Institute of Psychology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia)

“Rhett Diessner takes the reader on a fascinating journey through centuries and cultures, through scientific and artistic disciplines, through religion, philosophy and literature, to show why Beauty is ‘so profound, so deep, so meaningful’ and ‘makes life worth living.’ A unique combination of deep knowledge, empirical findings, anecdotes, and featured pieces of music that allows for lived-beauty while reading about beauty!” (Angelika Guesewell Schaub is Director of Research at the Haute Ecole de Musique Vaud Valais Fribourg (HEMU), University of Applied Sciences HES-SO, Switzerland)

“This book is very interesting and engaging to read. It will definitely be a great resource for students.” (Ines Schindler, Senior Research Fellow at the Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics, Germany)

“Plato once wrote ‘The object of education is to teach us to love what is beautiful.’ Professor Rhett Diessner does this with great insight, passion and clarity. He writes of how beauty can be studied, codified, learned from and wondered at. But more importantly, he holds it up as a beacon that unites us all and shines through science, art and goodness itself. Also, he’s my uncle.” (Rainn Wilson, Actor (notably Dwight Schrute from The Office))