The evolution of aesthetic appreciation

To conceive that cognitive and neural mechanisms underlying the appreciation of beauty are exclusive to that ability, as well as to assume that they are uniquely human, represents a serious obstacle for comprehending the evolution of aesthetic appreciation. In the present paper knowledge from diverse fields of study is reviewed in order to overcome traditional limitations and outline a model of the evolution of aesthetic appreciation. Aesthetic appreciation h considered to result from the interaction of cognitive and affective processes. Some of these processes, such as early visual analysis, object recognition in an affective and mnemonic context, representation of its reinforcement value, and some executive functions, appear to have been inherited from our ancestors. Conversely, other processes, including multisensory information integration, spatial analyses, and monitoring one's own affective state, seem to have been subjected to significant transformations throughout the human lineage.