"mirror neurons control the universe"

abstract of the article (found in Trends in Cognitive Sciences
Volume 11, Issue 5, May 2007, Pages 197-203):

Motion, emotion and empathy in esthetic experience

David Freedberg1 and Vittorio Gallese2,

1Department of Art History and Archeology, Columbia University, 826 Schermerhorn Hall, 1190 Amsterdam Avenue, New York 10027, USA 2Department of Neuroscience, University of Parma, Via Volturno 39, I-43100 Parma, Italy

The implications of the discovery of mirroring mechanisms and embodied simulation for empathetic responses to images in general, and to works of visual art in particular, have not yet been assessed. Here, we address this issue and we challenge the primacy of cognition in responses to art. We propose that a crucial element of esthetic response consists of the activation of embodied mechanisms encompassing the simulation of actions, emotions and corporeal sensation, and that these mechanisms are universal. This basic level of reaction to images is essential to understanding the effectiveness both of everyday images and of works of art. Historical, cultural and other contextual factors do not preclude the importance of considering the neural processes that arise in the empathetic understanding of visual artworks.

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