Sensing the beauty of interface: Neural oscillatory correlates of visual aesthetic judgment

It is critical for manufacturers to assess customers' aesthetic preferences for various interfaces. However, few studies on neural oscillations for aesthetic judgment have yielded inconsistent results. In this study, we explored the EEG oscillations linked to aesthetic judgments using interface materials (from aesthetic to medium and unaesthetic) along with corresponding scrambled images. Present findings showed that theta-band synchronization to interface were significantly higher for aesthetic interfaces than unaesthetic ones during 200-240 ms at the bilateral occipitotemporal electrodes. However, no significant differences in theta-band oscillations were observed between scrambled images of aesthetic and unaesthetic interfaces. During 250-300 ms, similar theta oscillation patterns were found only at the right occipitotemporal electrodes. Meanwhile, during 220-270 ms, aesthetic interfaces induced stronger alpha-beta desynchronization than unaesthetic ones at the left frontal electrodes, and still no such significant differences were observed in scrambled images. These EEG oscillations could serve as valuable real-time indicators for assessing individual aesthetic judgments.