Official account of the MPI for Empirical Aesthetics. News about our multi-disciplinary research on aesthetic evaluation and perception of art. #EmpiricalAesthetics Imprint: ae.mpg.de/imprint
Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics
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New study: A research team involving members of our Institute has shown that our brains process musical structures independently of their temporal regularity.
Read the full paper here: doi.org/10.1111/ejn.70481
Congrats, Laura! A very interesting topic. 👏
Why are women considered the “fairer sex” when, in most animal species, it is the males that are more striking? This question leads to a new study on factors influencing our assessment of attractiveness. Out now in Proceedings of the Royal Society B: doi.org/10.1098/rspb...
Thinking Design: Christopher Dell on musical spatial thinking—with insights into his current studies.
📅 June 08, 2026
🕕 6:30 p.m
📍 MPIEA ArtLab Foyer, Frankfurt am Main
🎟️ Free admission; the talk will be held in English
More info: s.gwdg.de/RV4kGe
The #CoBIC Scientific Opening Symposium — two days of scientific exchange, fresh ideas, and collaboration with distinguished speakers.
📍 Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main
📅 April 20-21, 2026
Click here to register: indico.ae.mpg.de/event/39/
Neuroscience, music, and exciting discussions at the CoBIC Scientific Opening Symposium: From April 20 to 21, 2026, renowned international speakers provided two days of fascinating presentations and scientific exchange.
Many thanks to all guests and partners!
Is there a link between listening to music and mental health? @laurawesseldijk.bsky.social, Fredrik Ullén, and Miriam A. Mosing found that the connection is not as clear-cut.
Read the full paper in Journal of Affective Disorders Reports: doi.org/10.1016/j.jadr.2026.101066
The first talk of our #ThinkingDesign series is approaching: On April 23, Anke Haarmann from Leiden University (NL) will discuss “Epistemological #Aesthetics: How Practices of Design Lead to Insights.” Join us on at 6:30 p.m. in our ArtLab Foyer.
More info: s.gwdg.de/gKAjol
What makes a design a classic?
At our Library Talks with Viktoria Heinrich, we explored how objects like the Ulm Stool or Mayday lamp carry stories and become icons over time.
A big thank you to everyone who contributed to such a great evening!
How do we tell the difference between a human voice and a computer-generated one?
A recent study shows that our perception depends not only on the quality of the voice, but also on the content and our own language skills.
Out now in #SpeechCommunication: doi.org/10.1016/j.specom.2026.103398
Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics
Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics
Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics
Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics
Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics
Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics
Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics
Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics
Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics
Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics
The question I get most after talks about music and mental health: "But what about people who just listen to music?" Most of us never pick up an instrument, we engage with music through listening... So we studied it. New paper on music listening, mental health & genetics 🎵
doi.org/10.1016/j.ja...
While some people actively play instruments, most primarily engage with music through listening. Although intervention studies consistently report pos…
