Does Beauty Matter? What Happens to Us When We See Something Beautiful

They say that beauty is subjective, and it probably is, however, psychology has determined that There are certain standards of beauty that impact and appeal to most people, what we consider “aesthetically attractive.”

According to Irene Reppa, a psychology academic at the Swansea University UK, “It may seem surprising, but beauty is more important to us than we usually think.”

The expert, in an article by The conversation wanted to explain how beauty can influence people’s moods and found that “How much we like something and how beautiful we find it can have a compelling effect on our experience and behavior.”

What does seeing something beautiful cause in us? This was the expert’s explanation.

Whether it is a person, an animal, a painting or a sculpture, If we perceive it as something beautiful, humans tend to give it positive labels. For example, if a person seems pretty to us, we are likely to feel that they are innocent and good.

Reppa explained that, Although beauty may have some subjectivity, “there are some well-established properties that matter” : the proportion, symmetry and curvature of what we are looking at, but also the relationship we have with it (such as proximity or familiarity).

All this will make us perceive something so beautiful and beautiful.

The expert illustrated with classical architecture, which uses attractive proportions – such as the golden ratio – and which people generally find beautiful and satisfying, that they could watch for several hours at a time.

In this light, the psychologist believes that humans, in themselves, have a penchant for beauty, which means that we do not only care about a “utilitarian approach” or a “functional approach above all”: “Aesthetics matter and are reflected in our behavior and performance.”

That’s to say, We not only need an object to function well, but also to be attractive to us.

“We surround ourselves with coasts that we like, with objects that catch the eye. We surround ourselves with beautiful things at home (…) We tend to think that pretty things will work better and be easier to learn and use.

But the expert went further. He conducted an experiment in which he discovered that beautiful things also influence people’s moods. This is what he found.

If you are a retailer, you have probably realized that when you walk into a store, salespeople are concerned about whether the place smells good, is visually appealing, the products are organized, and even whether their packaging is nice and easy to use.

It’s because they know it. Aesthetic beauty influences people’s purchasing behavior.

To explain the above, psychologist Irene Reppa conducted an experiment/study where Participants were asked to listen to happy and sad songs, by reading a list of statements. The idea was to put them in a positive, then negative, mindset.

Second act, They were given a task to find aesthetically appealing icons.

In the results, the psychologist and her team found that People’s tendency was to choose attractive icons, even if they were in a sad mood. In other words, beauty was able to “conquer” sadness.

Of course, people in a positive mood were able to find the attractive images more easily, but sad people were also able to find them, but it took a little longer.

“We conclude that attractive stimuli should be intrinsically rewarding and that aesthetic appeal should help overcome the detrimental effects of negative mood on performance. That is, “Attractiveness can overcome sadness.” wrote the expert in The conversation.

Reppa also concluded that “being in a good mood makes us more likely to interact with beautiful things” and that: Even when we are sad or angry, the beauty of objects or people can capture our attention and influence our behavior for the better. “provided we remain exposed to it long enough.”

In fact, there is now evidence that to help treat depression, small doses of psychedelics, such as magic mushrooms, are being allowed in controlled environments, such as hospitals and clinics.

“These drugs usually produce intense experiences of beauty in terms of colors and shapes and help us feel more in harmony with our environment,” said the academic, explaining why they could be a good ally in the treatment of depression, among other disorders.

With this in mind, Reppa reflected on current industrial design and assured that “Visionary and innovative leaders have long intuitively understood the importance of aesthetics and simplicity in design.”

For example, Steve Jobs, founder of Apple has always wanted its brand designs, whether iPhone, iPad or any derivative product, to be as simple and aesthetic as possible.

“Unfortunately, it seems that many designers have not followed Jobs’ visionary intuition. Perhaps the accumulated data will eventually convince them that design has a significant impact on performance.

For this reason, the academic finally recommended that, knowing the above and the importance of beauty for man, If someone wants to launch a new product, a mobile application or anything that they want to make popular and buyable, they must remember that aesthetics and beauty are essential.