Neurophysiological studies of art perception – linking visual aesthetic valuation with creative inspiration, motivation, curiosity and insight

This dissertation investigates the neurophysiology of visual aesthetic experience and its links to meaning‑making (curiosity, insight, felt understanding), motivation/engagement, and creativity. Using behavioral ratings, EEG (ERP and time–frequency), eye tracking, and ECG, it asks (1) which EEG markers track aesthetic valuation in time; (2) how typical EEG constraints (fixation, static images) versus more naturalistic viewing (free gaze, video) affect behavior and signal quality; how is aesthetic appeal linked to (3) the process of meaning-making and (4) creative inspiration and writing fluency. All studies were preregistered and follow open‑science practices. In Study 1, oscillatory EEG, especially gamma and alpha dynamics, as well as sustained late time-domain EEG were markers of being aesthetically moved; previous observations in early ERP components could not be replicated. Study 2 showed that using video instead of static stimuli increased aesthetic ratings and reduced boredom and eye movements; free gaze increased eye movements as expected, but EEG quality (ASSR‑SNR) was minimally affected across conditions. Study 3 revealed that additional semantic cues — in this case artwork titles — modulate curiosity, trigger insight, and deepen felt understanding, shaping the final aesthetic judgments in complex ways; time‑resolved decoding showed understanding has strong neurophysiological signatures that grow over time, while liking showed an early post‑cue EEG signature. Finally in study 4, aesthetic appeal was shown to foster creative inspiration and writing fluency, with inspiration mediating the link between aesthetic preference and creative output. Taken together, this work provides evidence for aesthetic experience as a multi‑component, temporally extended process in which meaning‑making and reward interact with motivation and creativity. Oscillatory EEG, especially sustained gamma and alpha dynamics, offer new potential markers of being aesthetically moved, complementing (and sometimes surpassing) traditional ERP approaches. Naturalistic viewing can enhance engagement and aesthetic response with little cost to EEG quality, arguing for more ecologically valid designs in neuroaesthetics and cognitive neuroscience.