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Gómez-Puerto G, Munar E, Nadal M. Preference for Curvature: A Historical and Conceptual Framework. Front Hum Neurosci. 2016;9:712doi: 10.3389/fnhum.2015.00712.
Gómez-Puerto, G., Munar, E., & Nadal, M. (2015). Preference for Curvature: A Historical and Conceptual Framework. Frontiers in human neuroscience, 9712. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2015.00712
Gómez-Puerto, Gerardo, et al. "Preference for Curvature: A Historical and Conceptual Framework." Frontiers in human neuroscience vol. 9 (2015): 712. doi: https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2015.00712
Gómez-Puerto G, Munar E, Nadal M. Preference for Curvature: A Historical and Conceptual Framework. Front Hum Neurosci. 2016 Jan 12;9:712. doi: 10.3389/fnhum.2015.00712. eCollection 2015. PMID: 26793092; PMCID: PMC4709714.
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Front Hum Neurosci. 2016 Jan 12;9:712. doi: 10.3389/fnhum.2015.00712. eCollection 2015.

Preference for Curvature: A Historical and Conceptual Framework.

Frontiers in human neuroscience

Gerardo Gómez-Puerto, Enric Munar, Marcos Nadal

Affiliations

  1. Human Evolution and Cognition Group, IFISC, University of the Balearic Islands-CSIC Palma, Spain.
  2. Human Evolution and Cognition Group, IFISC, University of the Balearic Islands-CSICPalma, Spain; Department of Basic Psychological Research and Research Methods, University of ViennaVienna, Austria.

PMID: 26793092 PMCID: PMC4709714 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2015.00712

Abstract

That people find curved contours and lines more pleasurable than straight ones is a recurrent observation in the aesthetic literature. Although such observation has been tested sporadically throughout the history of scientific psychology, only during the last decade has it been the object of systematic research. Recent studies lend support to the idea that human preference for curved contours is biologically determined. However, it has also been argued that this preference is a cultural phenomenon. In this article, we review the available evidence, together with different attempts to explain the nature of preference for curvature: sensoriomotor-based and valuation-based approaches. We also argue that the lack of a unifying framework and clearly defined concepts might be undermining our efforts towards a better understanding of the nature of preference for curvature. Finally, we point to a series of unresolved matters as the starting point to further develop a consistent research program.

Keywords: angularity; curvature; empirical aesthetics; evolutionary aesthetics; preference

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