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Description
PoeticA uses neuroaesthetics methods to study the universality of aesthetic experience (literary and visual arts) in individual contexts (nationalist and liberal cultures of Ireland, Britain, and Italy) in order to discuss nationalism and cosmopolitanism. We will contribute answers to two questions of general human interest. One is the centuries-old question, “Is aesthetic experience universal?”, which we will explore by uncovering the neurobiological bases of aesthetic pleasure derived from (1) neural mechanisms involved in the perception of rhythm, as well as from (2) memories of pleasurable bodily experiences evoked by conceptual metaphors. By contributing an answer to this first question, we will construct an empirical base for answering a second question, one that is related to the socio-political experience of the modern world: do biological universals favour cosmopolitanism over nationalism? Our overarching hypothesis is that cosmopolitanism provides an evolutionary advantage over nationalism: we, humans, need novelty and empathetic exploration as well as the empathetic familiarity of the group, but we would rather explore than remain confined within the symmetries of nationalisms and the perception of safety they engender. The project is also one of establishing the first neuroaesthetics laboratory in Romania, now functioning at the University of Suceava with a staff of 4 researchers and as member in the project consortium next to NTNU and the University of Bergen from Norway. Our collaborative work will lead to future joint funding applications for European Research Council (ERC) Advanced Grants and Research Council of Norway (RCN) funding calls. We will also create a joint Romanian-Norwegian masters level neuroaesthetics module to be taught at the University of Suceava, the first of its kind in Romania, thereby offering humanists the chance to link with science, and scientists the opportunity to benefit from the analytical depth of humanistic inquiry.
Summary of project results
We studied biological universals of aesthetic experience to identify neurophysiological mechanisms that prime audiences in favour of nationalist or cosmopolitan attitudes. Our data and analyses suggest that regular rhythm (e.g. of nationalist marches or poems) harnesses the biological mechanism of neural entrainment to produce pleasure and preference for nationalist causes, not least because regular rhythm is easy to process by the brain and feels familiar. In contrast, rhythmic complexity (e.g. of jazz, or poems tackling existential dilemmas/ contradictions) harnesses the power of the brain to solve complexity to produce more intense but short-lived pleasure and preference for typically cosmopolitan novelty, surprise, and diversity (variance). Complementarily, typical faces (encountered in one’s social group) are pleasurable and trustworthy because they present an acceptable range of diversity within familiarity, consistent with in-group “nationalistic” solidarity. Prototypical faces (rare, “an average of complexity” over many social groups) are pleasurable but less trustworthy, consistent with typically cosmopolitan encounters with the unfamiliar that both frightens and delights. In philosophical interpretation, group solidarity enhances survival prospects, but evolutionary viability is enhanced by the ability to accept challenges, solve their complexities, and thus adapt. We survive through nationalism, but we can only grow and evolve if we are cosmopolitan.
The project established the first neuroaesthetics lab in Romania as a national and European hub for neuroaesthetics research and teaching, with PoeticA its flagship project (Lab link: https://neuroaestheticslab.usv.ro/). On the research side we completed one EEG experiment collecting data from 50 participants resulting in a huge database of 60,000 minutes of EEG signal. The entire signal was cleaned and prepared for analysis but only a fraction was processed and analysed due to limits in computer processing power and manpower. This will nevertheless provide material for studies in our lab for the next 6 years. However, the analyses of only a fraction of the signal are informative and validate our research designs and conclusions. We also completed an fMRI experiment with data collected also from 50 participants that is still being analysed. We completed a number of behavioural experiments with 3 papers published. To disseminate our results we created the first Neuroaesthetics textbook in the world, published with Palgrave Macmillan and available Open Access here: https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-031-42323-9. The textbook will be implemented as the manual of the first neuroaesthetics module ever taught in Romania, beginning from the academic year 2024-2025 (second semester), within the masters programme entitled English in the Digital Age.
The establishment of the first neuroaesthetics lab in Romania with a clear research agenda and state of the art equipment purchased from our grant (the Eyelink 1000+ eyetracker, dedicated data server, etc) means that we have a base for developing this new and exciting discipline as unique curricular offering that brings together both humanists and scientists. The direct beneficiaries are our students whose training in this discipline provides them with a unique set of skills highly sought after on the job market: humanists with science training and scientists with humanities training are more successful on the job market whatever type of employment they pursue after graduation. Our academic staff also benefits from this achievement as we offer a unique environment for scientists and humanists to work together on joint research projects. This is not merely theoretical interdisciplinarity. Researchers can work together in the same physical space, using the same equipment and resources, learning the value of each other’s disciplinary approaches to the same topics. For the core team based in the lab, who will continue working on strands of PoeticA, the neuroimaging data we have acquired provides a rich long-term “mining field” for applying statistical analysis models and research designs.
Summary of bilateral results
While we have completed our deliverables in terms of published material and drafts of future publications, PoeticA will continue in new form for at least another six years, meaning that our collaborations with NTNU and the University of Bergen will also continue. We have at least another volume and three more papers in progress, and the data we acquired will be used for collaborative research, as far as we can tell at this time, for the reminder of the decade. The project was very dynamic and opened new venues of investigation that had not been foreseen at the time of application. Practically, each of our work packages can become a project in itself and we have enough data and analyses to enable us to write future joint project proposals andhopefully obtain further funding to sustain our Romanian-Norwegian bilateral cooperation.