Determinants of aesthetic preference and effects of exposure to aesthetic stimuli: social emotional, and cognitive factors.
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Personality and preference for painting style.
40 university students were asked to choose between the cubist or surrealist from among 15 pairs of slides of paintings according to their aesthetic preference. Their choices were correlated with scores on Rotter's internal vs external locus of control scale. The data support the hypothesis that there is a positive relationship between preference for cubism over surrealism and internal locus control and vice versa.
Art↗
The golden section: the "true" ratio?
Seven rectangles with different ratios of the lengths of their sides but of approximately equal areas were presented to 120 subjects to asses their aesthetic preferences for each rectangle. The method of pair comparisons was used for presentation of the rectangles. Subjects tended to prefer the golden rectangle. Also rectangles in the vicinity of the golden rectangle were preferred to those deviating markedly from it.
Attitude↗
Beauty bias in butterfly research and conservation.
Conservation biases have been documented since the first emergence of the concept of biodiversity in the 1980s,1,2,3 showing a systematic disproportion in the allocation of research and conservation efforts among taxa.4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11 One factor underlying this disproportion, gaining prominence in recent literature, is species' perceived beauty, shaped by human visual preferences.12,13,14,15,16,17 Here, we integrate a large-scale survey of the perceived beauty of European butterflies yielding >21,000 survey completions from >100 countries into a time-explicit network linking species' beauty, public attention, research and conservation efforts, and the EU regulatory framework. We found that species beauty is consistently associated with public attention, research, and conservation efforts in a temporally structured pattern compatible with a cumulative beauty bias. Research effort and public attention concentrate on widespread and visually attractive species, whereas species included in the legal conservation framework, particularly the Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats (hereafter, Bern Convention, BC, 1979)18 and the EU Habitats Directive (hereafter, HD, 1992)19 are disproportionately represented by visually appealing and historically protected taxa. Because these frameworks guide funding and management actions, early associations between species beauty and BC/HD inclusion have contributed to long-lasting institutional patterns in butterfly research and conservation. By contrast, European IUCN Red Lists20,21 do not overrepresent beautiful species and identify more inconspicuous taxa as threatened. This mismatch reveals a tension between scientific assessments of extinction risk and historically embedded conservation priorities. Our findings suggest that recognizing beauty bias is vital for aligning conservation with actual ecological urgency. VIDEO ABSTRACT.
Animals↗
Eye color and judgments of aesthetic value of shapes.
47 university students provided judgments of the aesthetic value of polygon and histogram shapes that were either symmetric or asymmetric. A sigificant over-all preference to symmetric shapes was evident (p less than .05), and judgments were significantly more positive for brown-eyed subjects. Furthermore, the aesthetic values assigned to shapes showed a systematic interaction with eye color such that brown-eyed subjects produced higher aesthetic ratings for symmetric shapes than blue-eyed subjects, while no such differences appeared for asymmetric shapes.
Esthetics↗
[Midline congenital fistulas of the nose. Fourteen cases (author's transl)].
The authors report 14 cases of midline congenital fistulas of the nose. Early diagnosis of the abnormality and its deep prolongations are necessary in order to avoid delayed presentation by infectious complications, which may be grave. Anteroposterior tomograms, in Gosserez view, in general provide precise information concerning the extent. In order to limit aesthetic problems, surgical treatment, without prejudice to total excision, should give preference to concealed transcolumellar incisions extended if necessary to the nostrils. This approach offers extensive manaeuvrability and makes it possible to perform a rhinoplasty if necessary.
Adolescent↗
The effect of compression dressing on postoperative outcomes after upper eyelid blepharoplasty: a randomized, controlled, observer-blinded evaluation study.
PURPOSE: This study aimed to evaluate the impact of a compression dressing on postoperative pain, ocular surface changes, edema, ecchymosis, and aesthetic outcomes following upper eyelid blepharoplasty. METHODS: This observer-blinded, randomized, controlled trial included 112 eyelids from 56 patients who underwent bilateral upper eyelid blepharoplasty between June and August 2025. After surgery, one eyelid received a compression dressing (CD), while the other eyelid received no dressing (ND). Edema and ecchymosis were graded by masked observers on postoperative days 1, 7, 30, and 90. Aesthetic outcomes were evaluated using the Global Aesthetic Improvement Score. Pain was evaluated using a visual analog scale, and patient comfort was assessed by side preference. RESULTS: On postoperative day 1, ecchymosis scores were significantly lower in the CD group than in the ND group (unadjusted p = 0.002; Holm-adjusted p = 0.012). Edema scores were also lower on the CD side (unadjusted p = 0.012) and aesthetic scores were higher (unadjusted p = 0.046); however, neither difference remained statistically significant after Holm-Bonferroni correction for multiple comparisons (adjusted p = 0.060 and p = 0.138, respectively). No significant differences were observed in any parameter on postoperative days 7, 30, or 90 (all adjusted p > 0.05). Corneal staining scores were comparable between groups at all follow-ups, and no corneal erosions were observed. Pain scores on day 1 were similar (p = 0.977). CONCLUSIONS: Compression dressing after upper eyelid blepharoplasty was associated with a significant reduction in early postoperative ecchymosis, an effect that persisted after correction for multiple comparisons. Reductions in edema and improvements in aesthetic scores were observed on postoperative day 1 but did not remain statistically significant after adjustment. Overall, the benefits of compression dressing were limited in magnitude and transient, and routine use may not be necessary; its application should be individualized according to patient needs. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT07701265 (retrospectively registered on July 8, 2026).
Humans↗
The influence of lateral organization on the evaluation of paintings.
This study examines the influence of directional properties of lateral organization on evaluation of paintings. Lateral organization, as defined here, has two dimensions: (1) left or right location of the principal figure; and (2) left-to-right or right-to-left sequence of figures represented by the direction of suggested movement, action, or lines. That previous studies have failed to demonstrate consistently a relationship between evaluations and directional properties is attributed to methodological shortcomings involving lack of control of stimulus properties and exposure time. Here, on the basis of a well-defined judging procedure, paintings were distinguished according to whether each dimension of lateral organization depicted one or more than one direction. Under two exposure conditions, 5 and 20 s, three evaluations (general preference, balance, and dynamics) were made for paintings which were presented simultaneously in the artist-created, original view, and the mirror-image, reversed view. It was found that evaluations were influenced by directional properties (sequence of figures) with a 5 s exposure and by more inclusive formal features with a 20 s exposure. Implications of the findings for perception and aesthetics are considered.
Art↗