The effect of action observation on aesthetic preference of Chinese calligraphy: An fMRI study

INTRODUCTION: There is some evidence suggesting that movement perception has an effect on aesthetic experience. However, the neural mechanisms underlying the observation of creators’ creative action (the process that calligraphers create calligraphy) remain unclear. METHODS: In this study, participants were scanned with fMRI while performing aesthetic judgments on Chinese calligraphy images with/without action observation. RESULTS: Behavioral results showed that both the work by the expert and novice with action observation were rated significantly higher on aesthetic preference than those without action observation. Imaging results showed that brain regions associated with perceptual, cognitive, and emotional processing were commonly activated by calligraphy images with/without action observation. However, compared with no action observation, aesthetic judgments of calligraphy images with action observation elicited stronger activation in the anterior cingulate cortex and the bilateral insula. Meanwhile, the superior parietal lobe which is associated with relevant inner action imitation, was also activated when observing the creator's action. CONCLUSIONS: Brain activation in the superior parietal lobe, anterior cingulate cortex, and the bilateral insula indicated that observing the creative action of the creators contributed to the aesthetic experience of the observer.