Neurofunctional correlates of esthetic and moral judgments

Recent neuroimaging studies indicate that there may be common ground for esthetic and moral judgments. However, because previous studies focused on either esthetic or moral judgments and did not compare the two directly, the issue remains open whether a common ground actually exists. We employed functional magnetic resonance imaging in order to study, in a within-subjects design, the potential equivalence of esthetic and moral judgments. One-line verses from poems and short moral statements were used as stimuli. Our results suggest a common basis for the two judgment categories, revealing comparable neural networks mainly the orbitomedial prefrontal cortex. However, additional activations were found in the moral judgment condition, that is, in the posterior cingulate cortex, the precuneus, and the temporoparietal junction. These regions have been related to understanding the minds of others.