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Ardizzi M, Ferroni F, Siri F, Umiltà MA, Cotti A, Calbi M, Fadda E, Freedberg D, Gallese V. Beholders' sensorimotor engagement enhances aesthetic rating of pictorial facial expressions of pain. Psychol Res 2018; 84:370-379. [PMID: 30073408 DOI: 10.1007/s00426-018-1067-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2018] [Accepted: 07/27/2018] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
The present study addresses a novel issue by investigating whether beholders' sensorimotor engagement with the emotional content of works of art contributes to the formation of their objective aesthetic judgment of beauty. To this purpose, participants' sensorimotor engagement was modulated by asking them to overtly contract the Corrugator Supercilii facial muscles or to refrain from any voluntary facial movement while judging the aesthetic value of painful and neutral facial expressions in select examples of Renaissance and Baroque paintings. Results demonstrated a specific increase in the aesthetic rating of paintings showing painful facial expressions during the congruent activation of the Corrugator Supercilii muscles. Furthermore, participants' empathetic traits and expertise in art were found to correlate directly with the amplitude of the motor enactment effect on aesthetic judgments. For the first time, we show the role of bottom-up bodily driven sensorimotor processes in the objective aesthetic evaluation of works of art.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martina Ardizzi
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, Via Volturno, 39/E, 43121, Parma, Italy.
| | - F Ferroni
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, Via Volturno, 39/E, 43121, Parma, Italy
| | - F Siri
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, Via Volturno, 39/E, 43121, Parma, Italy
| | - M A Umiltà
- Department of Food and Drug, University of Parma, Parma, Italy
| | - A Cotti
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, Via Volturno, 39/E, 43121, Parma, Italy
| | - M Calbi
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, Via Volturno, 39/E, 43121, Parma, Italy
| | - E Fadda
- Department of Humanities, Social Sciences and Cultural Industries, University of Parma, Parma, Italy
| | - D Freedberg
- Department of Art History Columbia University, Italian Academy for Advanced Studies, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA.,Warburg Institute, University of London, London, UK
| | - V Gallese
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, Via Volturno, 39/E, 43121, Parma, Italy.,Department of Art History Columbia University, Italian Academy for Advanced Studies, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA.,Institute of Philosophy, School of Advanced Study, University of London, London, UK
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Hadley ME, al-Obeidi F, Hruby VJ, Weinrach JC, Freedberg D, Jiang JW, Stover RS. Biological activities of melanotropic peptide fatty acid conjugates. Pigment Cell Res 1991; 4:180-5. [PMID: 1667821 DOI: 10.1111/j.1600-0749.1991.tb00436.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Four fatty acids (FA, palmitic, myristic, decanoic, hexanoic) were individually conjugated to the N-terminus of the alpha-MSH fragment analog, H-Asp5-His6-D-Phe7-Arg8-Trp9-Lys10-NH2. This resulted in enhanced potency of the conjugates (compared to the unconjugated melanotropin analog) as determined in the lizard skin bioassay and in the mouse melanoma cell tyrosinase bioassay. The shorter conjugates of hexanoic and decanoic acid were at least equipotent to alpha-MSH in the lizard skin bioassay, whereas the longer myristoyl and palmitoyl analogs were 100 times less active. The myristoyl and palmitoyl conjugates exhibited a "creeping" potency in the lizard skin bioassay-that is, potency of the peptides increased with time in contact with the skins. These observations may be related to the more lipid nature of these FA-conjugates. In the tyrosinase assay, the conjugates were 10-100 times more active than alpha-MSH or the unconjugated analog. Each of the FA-melanotropic peptide conjugates exhibited prolonged (residual) melanotropic activity in both the lizard skin and melanoma cell bioassays. In other words, after removal of the melanotropin conjugates from contact with the skins or cells, responses were still manifested for hours or days thereafter. As little as 1 hr of contact with melanoma cells resulted in enhanced enzyme activity as measured 48 hr later. Since the conjugates, but not H-[Asp5, D-Phe7, Lys10]alpha-MSH5-10-NH2, exhibited prolonged activity, the conversion of reversible agonists to irreversible agonists was demonstrated.
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Affiliation(s)
- M E Hadley
- Department of Anatomy, University of Arizona, Tucson 85724
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