Genetic effects on variability in visual aesthetic evaluations are partially shared across visual domains

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Behavioral Genetics
• Neuroaesthetics

Background:

• Aesthetic values are learned over a lifetime, but the extent of genetic versus environmental influence remains debated.
• Individual differences in aesthetic value perception exist across various visual domains, including abstract images, scenes, and faces.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the genetic and environmental contributions to aesthetic value dimensions (taste-typicality and evaluation-bias) across abstract images, scenes, and faces.
• To determine if genetic influences on aesthetic evaluation are shared across different visual domains.

Main Methods:

• Utilized data from 1547 and 1231 twins from the Australian Twin Registry.
• Assessed genetic and environmental influences on taste-typicality and evaluation-bias using twin study methodologies.
• Performed multivariate analyses to examine shared genetic effects across visual domains.

Main Results:

• Genetic influences accounted for 26%–41% of the variance in taste-typicality and evaluation-bias.
• Shared genetic effects were observed across the visual domains for aesthetic evaluations.
• Taste-typicality for abstract images was influenced solely by environmental factors, not genetics.

Conclusions:

• Heritability of aesthetic evaluation dimensions is comparable to complex social traits, but lower than cognitive traits.
• Both genetic and environmental factors contribute to the formation of aesthetic value across diverse visual domains.
• The study provides enhanced metrics for assessing inter-individual differences in aesthetic value.