03 Dec , 16:39
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Toronto Discovery: Our Brain Prefers "Economical" Images
As reported by TUT.AZ with reference to "Gazeta.Ru", researchers from the University of Toronto made an interesting discovery — people prefer images that require minimal energy expenditure to perceive. Scientists emphasize that the brain is an incredibly energy-intensive organ, consuming a fifth of all calories, with almost half of this energy spent on the visual system's operation.
The study showed that overly primitive visual stimuli, like empty white space, although easily processed, quickly lose their appeal. At the same time, excessively complex images require significant metabolic resources and cause fatigue. Scientists hypothesized that our aesthetic preferences are formed in search of the perfect balance between simplicity and complexity.
To test the theory, researchers analyzed the energy "cost" of perceiving nearly 5 thousand images using a computer model of the visual system and compared the data with attractiveness ratings from more than a thousand volunteers. The obtained results were then confirmed using brain imaging technology on four participants, measuring oxygen consumption.
Both stages of the study confirmed: people find more pleasant those images that require less energy to process. Thanks to the quick reactions of the subjects, scientists were able to capture the primary aesthetic perception — what arises before conscious analysis of what is seen.
Researchers suggest that visual attractiveness may be a manifestation of an innate energy-saving strategy: the expression "pleasing to the eye" might literally mean that the image requires fewer resources from our brain.
