Individual differences in aesthetic engagement and proneness to aesthetic chill: Associations with stress-related growth orientation.

Johnson, Kimberley T.; Williams, Paula; Smith, Timothy W.; Baucom, Brian R.

doi:10.1037/aca0000410

Cited by 5 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 90 publications

(149 reference statements)

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Sachs et al ( 32 ) found that individual differences in chills and musical reward sensitivity are tied to white matter connectivity between sensory processing areas in the superior temporal gyrus and emotional and social processing areas in the insula and medial prefrontal cortex. Another study by Williams et al ( 34 , 35 , 38 ) found that participants reporting greater proneness to aesthetic chills responses exhibited significantly higher connectivity between the default network and sensory and motor cortices, higher connectivity between the ventral default and salience networks, and decreased connectivity between the cerebellum and somatomotor cortex. The susceptibility to aesthetic chills in these latent classes could be indicative of underlying neural mechanisms that facilitate greater sensory access to emotional and social reward systems ( 22 , 24 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…Interestingly, class D and class 7 not only exhibited a high prevalence of aesthetic chills but also scored significantly higher on psychological scales related to emotional and aesthetic involvement, such as MODTAS and KAMF. It is plausible that individuals in these classes have a unique way of processing emotional and sensory information, making them more receptive to the aspects of stimuli that elicit chills ( 24 , 30 , 31 , 34 , 35 , 37 , 38 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Predicting individual differences in peak emotional response

Schoeller,

Christov-Moore,

Lynch

et al. 2024

PNAS Nexus

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Why does the same experience elicit strong emotional responses in some individuals while leaving others largely indifferent? Is the variance influenced by who people are (personality traits), how they feel (emotional state), where they come from (demographics), or a unique combination of these? In this 2,900+ participants study, we disentangle the factors that underlie individual variations in the universal experience of aesthetic chills, the feeling of cold and shivers down the spine during peak experiences. Here, we unravel the interplay of psychological and sociocultural dynamics influencing self-reported chills reactions. A novel technique harnessing mass data mining of social media platforms curates the first large database of ecologically sourced chills-evoking stimuli. A combination of machine learning techniques (LASSO and SVM) and multilevel modeling analysis elucidates the interacting roles of demographics, traits, and states factors in the experience of aesthetic chills. These findings highlight a tractable set of features predicting the occurrence and intensity of chills—age, sex, pre-exposure arousal, predisposition to Kama Muta (KAMF), and absorption (modified tellegen absorption scale [MODTAS]), with 73.5% accuracy in predicting the occurrence of chills and accounting for 48% of the variance in chills intensity. While traditional methods typically suffer from a lack of control over the stimuli and their effects, this approach allows for the assignment of stimuli tailored to individual biopsychosocial profiles, thereby, increasing experimental control and decreasing unexplained variability. Further, they elucidate how hidden sociocultural factors, psychological traits, and contextual states shape seemingly “subjective” phenomena.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Predicting individual differences in peak emotional response

Schoeller,

Christov-Moore,

Lynch

et al. 2024

PNAS Nexus

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Consistent with this notion, awe-prone individuals endorse less “need for closure,” suggesting greater comfort with uncertainty (Shiota et al, 2007). Indeed, just as high-open individuals are drawn to novel and challenging stimuli that lead to awe, they may evidence adaptation and growth in the face of stressful life events (Ó Súilleabháin et al, 2018), an association recently demonstrated to be particular to aesthetic engagement and proneness to aesthetic chill (Johnson et al, 2021).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…There is preliminary evidence that aesthetic engagement is associated with stress resilience (Williams et al, 2009), stress-related growth orientation (Johnson et al, 2021), and adaptive aging (e.g., Hogan et al, 2012; Ziegler et al, 2015). Further, receptive engagement with the arts has been associated with longevity (Fancourt & Steptoe, 2019).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Individual differences in aesthetic engagement and proneness to aesthetic chill: Associations with awe.

Williams¹,

Johnson²,

Bride³

et al. 2023

Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

There is growing evidence that appreciation for and engagement with art, nature, and beauty are associated with positive mental and physical health outcomes, yet the emotional and physiological correlates of these individual differences have not been fully characterized. The associations among individual differences in aesthetic engagement, proneness to aesthetic chill, and the experience of awe were examined in two studies (total N = 1,340). In Study 1, psychometric properties and convergent/discriminant validity of a brief measure of proneness to aesthetic chill experiences across an expanded set of stimulus domains were examined in two samples. The association between reported proneness to aesthetic chill and the Openness to Aesthetics facet was confirmed in both studies. Factor analysis and item-total correlations provide preliminary evidence that proneness to aesthetic chill is not domain specific (i.e., individuals prone to aesthetic chill in one domain [e.g., music] are also prone in other domains [e.g., nature]). In a laboratory study, individual differences in awe response to an aesthetic film clip (vs. other emotion-inducing film clips) were examined. Results indicated that the Aesthetics facet and ratings of proneness to aesthetic chill were related to higher awe ratings and reported chill/goosebumps to the film clip, as well as dispositional awe. Agreeableness was also associated with experimentally induced awe, and extraversion had a modest association with dispositional awe ratings. Across both dispositional and experimental induction, however, individual differences in aesthetic engagement and reported proneness to aesthetic chill demonstrated the strongest, most consistent, and most specific associations with awe.

show abstract