TEDMED 2016
Anjan Chatterjee: How your brain decides what is beautiful
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Anjan Chatterjee uses tools from evolutionary psychology and cognitive neuroscience to study one of nature's most captivating concepts: beauty. Learn more about the science behind why certain configurations of line, color and form excite us in this fascinating, deep look inside your brain.
Anjan Chatterjee - Cognitive neuroscientist
Anjan Chatterjee seeks to answer a tantalizing question: Why is beauty so gripping? Full bio
Anjan Chatterjee seeks to answer a tantalizing question: Why is beauty so gripping? Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
00:13
It's 1878.
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Sir Francis Galton
gives a remarkable talk.
gives a remarkable talk.
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He's speaking to the anthropologic
institute of Great Britain and Ireland.
institute of Great Britain and Ireland.
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Known for his pioneering work
in human intelligence,
in human intelligence,
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Galton is a brilliant polymath.
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He's an explorer,
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an anthropologist,
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a sociologist,
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a psychologist
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and a statistician.
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He's also a eugenist.
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In this talk,
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he presents a new technique
by which he can combine photographs
by which he can combine photographs
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and produce composite portraits.
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This technique could be used
to characterize different types of people.
to characterize different types of people.
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Galton thinks that if he combines
photographs of violent criminals,
photographs of violent criminals,
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he will discover the face of criminality.
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But to his surprise,
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the composite portrait that he produces
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is beautiful.
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Galton's surprising finding
raises deep questions:
raises deep questions:
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What is beauty?
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Why do certain configurations of line
and color and form excite us so?
and color and form excite us so?
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For most of human history,
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these questions have been approached
using logic and speculation.
using logic and speculation.
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But in the last few decades,
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scientists have addressed
the question of beauty
the question of beauty
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using ideas from evolutionary psychology
and tools of neuroscience.
and tools of neuroscience.
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We're beginning to glimpse
the why and the how of beauty,
the why and the how of beauty,
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at least in terms of what it means
for the human face and form.
for the human face and form.
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And in the process,
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we're stumbling upon some surprises.
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When it comes to seeing
beauty in each other,
beauty in each other,
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while this decision is certainly
subjective for the individual,
subjective for the individual,
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it's sculpted by factors that contribute
to the survival of the group.
to the survival of the group.
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Many experiments have shown
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that a few basic parameters contribute
to what makes a face attractive.
to what makes a face attractive.
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These include averaging, symmetry
and the effects of hormones.
and the effects of hormones.
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Let's take each one of these in turn.
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Galton's finding
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that composite or average faces
are typically more attractive
are typically more attractive
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than each individual face
that contributes to the average
that contributes to the average
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has been replicated many times.
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This laboratory finding fits
with many people's intuitions.
with many people's intuitions.
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Average faces represent
the central tendencies of a group.
the central tendencies of a group.
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People with mixed features
represent different populations,
represent different populations,
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and presumably harbor
greater genetic diversity
greater genetic diversity
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and adaptability to the environment.
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Many people find mixed-race
individuals attractive
individuals attractive
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and inbred families less so.
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The second factor that contributes
to beauty is symmetry.
to beauty is symmetry.
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People generally find symmetric faces
more attractive than asymmetric ones.
more attractive than asymmetric ones.
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Developmental abnormalities
are often associated with asymmetries.
are often associated with asymmetries.
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And in plants, animals and humans,
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asymmetries often arise
from parasitic infections.
from parasitic infections.
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Symmetry, it turns out,
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is also an indicator of health.
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In the 1930s,
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a man named Maksymilian Faktorowicz
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recognized the importance
of symmetry for beauty
of symmetry for beauty
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when he designed the beauty micrometer.
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With this device,
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he could measure minor asymmetric flaws
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which he could then make up for
with products he sold from his company,
with products he sold from his company,
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named brilliantly
after himself, Max Factor,
after himself, Max Factor,
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which, as you know,
is one of the world's most famous brands
is one of the world's most famous brands
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for "make up."
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The third factor that contributes
to facial attractiveness
to facial attractiveness
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is the effect of hormones.
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And here, I need to apologize
for confining my comments
for confining my comments
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to heterosexual norms.
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But estrogen and testosterone
play important roles
play important roles
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in shaping features
that we find attractive.
that we find attractive.
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Estrogen produces features
that signal fertility.
that signal fertility.
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Men typically find women attractive
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who have elements
of both youth and maturity.
of both youth and maturity.
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A face that's too baby-like might
mean that the girl is not yet fertile,
mean that the girl is not yet fertile,
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so men find women attractive
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who have large eyes,
full lips and narrow chins
full lips and narrow chins
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as indicators of youth,
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and high cheekbones
as an indicator of maturity.
as an indicator of maturity.
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Testosterone produces features
that we regard as typically masculine.
that we regard as typically masculine.
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These include heavier brows,
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thinner cheeks
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and bigger, squared-off jaws.
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But here's a fascinating irony.
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In many species,
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if anything,
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testosterone suppresses the immune system.
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So the idea that testosterone-infused
features are a fitness indicator
features are a fitness indicator
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doesn't really make a whole lot of sense.
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Here, the logic is turned on its head.
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Instead of a fitness indicator,
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scientists invoke a handicap principle.
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The most commonly cited
example of a handicap
example of a handicap
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is the peacock's tail.
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This beautiful but cumbersome tail
doesn't exactly help the peacock
doesn't exactly help the peacock
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avoid predators
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and approach peahens.
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Why should such an extravagant
appendage evolve?
appendage evolve?
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Even Charles Darwin,
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in an 1860 letter to Asa Gray wrote
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that the sight of the peacock's tail
made him physically ill.
made him physically ill.
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He couldn't explain it
with his theory of natural selection,
with his theory of natural selection,
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and out of this frustration,
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he developed the theory
of sexual selection.
of sexual selection.
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On this account,
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the display of the peacock's tail
is about sexual enticement,
is about sexual enticement,
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and this enticement means
it's more likely the peacock will mate
it's more likely the peacock will mate
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and have offspring.
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Now, the modern twist
on this display argument
on this display argument
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is that the peacock is also
advertising its health to the peahen.
advertising its health to the peahen.
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Only especially fit organisms
can afford to divert resources
can afford to divert resources
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to maintaining such
an extravagant appendage.
an extravagant appendage.
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Only especially fit men can afford
the price that testosterone levies
the price that testosterone levies
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on their immune system.
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And by analogy, think of the fact
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that only very rich men can afford
to pay more than $10,000 for a watch
to pay more than $10,000 for a watch
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as a display of their financial fitness.
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Now, many people hear these kinds
of evolutionary claims
of evolutionary claims
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and think they mean that we somehow
are unconsciously seeking mates
are unconsciously seeking mates
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who are healthy.
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And I think this idea
is probably not right.
is probably not right.
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Teenagers and young adults are not exactly
known for making decisions
known for making decisions
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that are predicated on health concerns.
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But they don't have to be,
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and let me explain why.
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Imagine a population
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in which people have three different
kinds of preferences:
kinds of preferences:
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for green, for orange and for red.
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From their point of view,
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these preferences have
nothing to do with health;
nothing to do with health;
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they just like what they like.
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But if it were also the case
that these preferences are associated
that these preferences are associated
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with the different likelihood
of producing offspring --
of producing offspring --
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let's say in a ratio of 3:2:1 --
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then in the first generation,
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there would be 3 greens
to 2 oranges to 1 red,
to 2 oranges to 1 red,
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and in each subsequent generation,
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the proportion of greens increase,
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so that in 10 generations,
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98 percent of this population
has a green preference.
has a green preference.
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Now, a scientist coming in
and sampling this population
and sampling this population
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discovers that green
preferences are universal.
preferences are universal.
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So the point about this little
abstract example
abstract example
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is that while preferences
for specific physical features
for specific physical features
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can be arbitrary for the individual,
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if those features are heritable
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and they are associated
with a reproductive advantage,
with a reproductive advantage,
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over time,
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they become universal for the group.
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So what happens in the brain
when we see beautiful people?
when we see beautiful people?
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Attractive faces activate
parts of our visual cortex
parts of our visual cortex
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in the back of the brain,
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an area called the fusiform gyrus,
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that is especially tuned
to processing faces,
to processing faces,
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and an adjacent area called
the lateral occipital complex,
the lateral occipital complex,
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that is especially attuned
to processing objects.
to processing objects.
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In addition,
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attractive faces activate parts
of our reward and pleasure centers
of our reward and pleasure centers
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in the front and deep in the brain,
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and these include areas
that have complicated names,
that have complicated names,
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like the ventral striatum,
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the orbitofrontal cortex
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and the ventromedial prefrontal cortex.
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Our visual brain that is tuned
to processing faces
to processing faces
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interacts with our pleasure centers
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to underpin the experience of beauty.
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Amazingly, while we all
engage with beauty,
engage with beauty,
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without our knowledge,
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beauty also engages us.
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Our brains respond to attractive faces
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even when we're not thinking about beauty.
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We conducted an experiment
in which people saw a series of faces,
in which people saw a series of faces,
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and in one condition,
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they had to decide if a pair of faces
were the same or a different person.
were the same or a different person.
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Even in this condition,
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attractive faces drove neural activity
robustly in their visual cortex,
robustly in their visual cortex,
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despite the fact that they were thinking
about a person's identity
about a person's identity
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and not their beauty.
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Another group similarly found
automatic responses to beauty
automatic responses to beauty
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within our pleasure centers.
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Taken together, these studies suggest
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that our brain automatically
responds to beauty
responds to beauty
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by linking vision and pleasure.
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These beauty detectors, it seems,
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ping every time we see beauty,
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regardless of whatever else
we might be thinking.
we might be thinking.
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We also have a "beauty is good"
stereotype embedded in the brain.
stereotype embedded in the brain.
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Within the orbitofrontal cortex,
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there's overlapping neural activity
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in response to beauty and to goodness,
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and this happens even when people
aren't explicitly thinking
aren't explicitly thinking
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about beauty or goodness.
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Our brains seem to reflexively
associate beauty and good.
associate beauty and good.
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And this reflexive association
may be the biologic trigger
may be the biologic trigger
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for the many social effects of beauty.
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Attractive people receive
all kinds of advantages in life.
all kinds of advantages in life.
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They're regarded as more intelligent,
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more trustworthy,
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they're given higher pay
and lesser punishments,
and lesser punishments,
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even when such judgments
are not warranted.
are not warranted.
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These kinds of observations
reveal beauty's ugly side.
reveal beauty's ugly side.
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In my lab, we recently found
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that people with minor facial
anomalies and disfigurements
anomalies and disfigurements
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are regarded as less good, less kind,
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less intelligent, less competent
and less hardworking.
and less hardworking.
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Unfortunately, we also have
a "disfigured is bad" stereotype.
a "disfigured is bad" stereotype.
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This stereotype is probably
exploited and magnified
exploited and magnified
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by images in popular media,
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in which facial disfigurement
is often used as a shorthand
is often used as a shorthand
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to depict someone of villainous character.
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We need to understand
these kinds of implicit biases
these kinds of implicit biases
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if we are to overcome them
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and aim for a society
in which we treat people fairly,
in which we treat people fairly,
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based on their behavior and not
on the happenstance of their looks.
on the happenstance of their looks.
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Let me leave you with one final thought.
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Beauty is a work in progress.
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The so-called universal
attributes of beauty
attributes of beauty
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were selected for during the almost
two million years of the Pleistocene.
two million years of the Pleistocene.
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Life was nasty, brutish
and a very long time ago.
and a very long time ago.
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The selection criteria
for reproductive success from that time
for reproductive success from that time
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doesn't really apply today.
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For example,
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death by parasite is not one
of the top ways that people die,
of the top ways that people die,
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at least not in the technologically
developed world.
developed world.
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From antibiotics to surgery,
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birth control to in vitro fertilization,
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the filters for reproductive success
are being relaxed.
are being relaxed.
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And under these relaxed conditions,
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preference and trait combinations
are free to drift
are free to drift
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and become more variable.
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Even as we are profoundly
affecting our environment,
affecting our environment,
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modern medicine
and technological innovation
and technological innovation
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is profoundly affecting
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the very essence of what it means
to look beautiful.
to look beautiful.
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The universal nature of beauty is changing
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even as we're changing the universe.
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Thank you.
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(Applause)
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ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Anjan Chatterjee - Cognitive neuroscientistAnjan Chatterjee seeks to answer a tantalizing question: Why is beauty so gripping?
Why you should listen
In his recent book, The Aesthetic Brain: How We Evolved to Desire Beauty and Enjoy Art, cognitive neuroscientist Anjan Chatterjee investigates neural responses to beauty, explaining that the faces and places we find aesthetically pleasing may promote evolutionary success.
With numerous publications to his name in areas such as attention, spatial cognition and neuroethics, Chatterjee is the former president of the Behavioral and Cognitive Neurology Society and the International Association of Empirical Aesthetics, and he is also a founding member of the Board of Governors of the Neuroethics Society. In 2016, Chatterjee was awarded the Rudolph Arnheim Award for contributions to psychology and the arts. Currently at the Center for Cognitive Neuroscience at the University of Pennsylvania, Chatterjee's cutting edge work in neuroaesthetics bridges art and neuroscience in complex and fascinating ways.
Anjan Chatterjee | Speaker | TED.com