Contemplative neuroaesthetics and architecture: A sensorimotor exploration
Frontiers of Architectural Research January 24, 2024 Zakaria Djebbara, Juliet King, Amir Ebadi et al. 22 citations
A theoretical framework for contemplative neuroaesthetics is proposed, grounded in sensorimotor dynamics. The authors argue that the capacity of arts and architecture to induce contemplative phenomenological states has been largely overlooked. They operationalize how attunement to architecture can lead to such states, contrasting externally-induced methods with internally-induced ones. Architecture may spontaneously elicit contemplative states as built features naturally resonate with the sensorimotor system. Becoming sensible of this resonance creates an occasion for an externally-induced contemplative state. Neuroscientific studies of architecture are reviewed, brain regions involved in aesthetic contemplative responses are elaborated, and contributions to evidence-based design are pointed at.