Aesthetic experience is supported by spontaneous autobiographical memory recollection

What mental representations and processes support moving aesthetic reactions to abstract art? We argue that the elicitation of autobiographical memories enables viewers to appreciate abstract art through the process of personal meaning-making. In three studies, we gave participants the opportunity to associate personal memories with works of art and measured how aesthetically moved they felt while viewing. We found that participants were significantly more moved by paintings that they could associate with a specific episode in their life (Study 1). This effect replicated across all studies and was present, albeit slightly weaker, even when the memory was cued after aesthetic ratings was made (Study 2). However, the positive effect of memory association on aesthetic experience diminished significantly when participants were asked to associate memories with all paintings (Study 3). These findings suggest that memory recollection enhances aesthetic experience when it arises spontaneously during art viewing.