Scientists at the University of Toronto have found that images that require minimal energy for brain perception are more pleasant to people. The results of this study were published in the new issue of the PNAS Nexus journal.
According to scientists, the brain is one of the most "energy-intensive" organs in the human body: it consumes about 20 percent of the total calories entering the body. In addition, almost half of these resources are spent on the functioning of the visual system.
Very simple visual cues, such as an empty white room, are easily perceived, but quickly become boring. Very complex images require a lot of metabolic "movements" and can be exhausting. Researchers suggest that aesthetic preference may be associated with the search for an energy-efficient "golden mean."
To test the hypothesis, scientists estimated the "energy cost" of perceiving 4,914 images using a computer model. Then they compared these indicators with the attractiveness ratings given by 1118 actual participants. Subsequently, the researchers confirmed "movements" calculated through brain visualization, which measured oxygen consumption in four volunteers.
In both experiments, people found images that required less energy to be processed by the brain to be pleasant. The participants' quick responses allowed us to record the first stage of the aesthetic impression - a quick reaction that occurs before we even have time to think about the content of the image.
According to the authors of the study, visual attractiveness can be one of the manifestations of a hidden energy-saving strategy.
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