Unraveling the role of interoceptive abilities in aesthetic appreciation of movement

In recent years, neuroscientific research has linked dance aesthetics appreciation to an interplay between the visual, sensorimotor, and reward systems. A specific focus has been on an observers familiarity with an action and its kinematic features.

At the same time, there has been growing interest in investigating the relationship between individuals interoceptive capabilities, emotion perception, and cognitive processes, revealing strong connections between internal body signals and brain responses.

Surprisingly, the potential link between interoception and movement appreciation has not been addressed yet, despite previous evidence on kinematics-related emotion recognition and given the theoretical and practical importance of establishing such a link.

Specifically, if autonomic functions impact aesthetic experience, then a substantial advancement of theoretical knowledge and cognitive models of (performing) art appreciation will be possible.

Knowledge translation to clinical and entertainment frameworks will also facilitate rehabilitation and audience engagement, with pragmatic and financial benefits.

The project will investigate the role of interoception in movements aesthetics, in terms of time courses and neural correlates, by modulating both stimuli objective features (synchrony between movement speed and observers heart rate) and participants subjective experience.

Neurofunctional methods will be combined with interactive training procedures to obtain precise temporal and spatial measures of brain engagement.

As a whole, the action aims to bridge neuroscience and art frameworks providing a strong emphasis on individual differences and embracing open science principles.

The action will provide an ideal platform for knowledge transfer between the fellow and both host institutions, and will facilitate the fellow to acquire practical skills, theoretical experience, and develop key collaborations to help him become a world-leading independent researcher.