Nuanced aesthetic emotions: emotion differentiation is related to knowledge of the arts and curiosity

ABSTRACT

The ability to distinguish between emotions is considered indicative of well-being, but does emotion differentiation (ED) in an aesthetic context also reflect deeper and more knowledgeable aesthetic experiences? Here we examine whether positive and negative ED in response to artistic stimuli reflects higher fluency in an aesthetic domain. Particularly, we test whether knowledge of the arts and curiosity are associated with more fine-grained positive and negative aesthetic experiences. A sample of 214 people rated their positive and negative feelings in response to various artworks including positive and negative themes. Positive ED was associated with the embracing sub-trait of curiosity that reflects engagement and enjoyment of novelty and complexity, but was unrelated to artistic knowledge and perceived comprehension. Negative ED was associated with higher curiosity and particularly more knowledge of the arts. This relationship was mediated by appraised comprehension suggesting that deeper engagement with art, by those with more art knowledge, is associated with more fine-grained emotional experiences. This finding extends ED beyond well-being research and suggests that more nuanced emotional experiences are more likely for those with expertise in the arts and motivation for exploration.

KEYWORDS:

• Emotion differentiation
• aesthetic emotions
• art knowledge
• curiosity
• artistic expertise

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1 When controlling for overall positive affect, the partial Spearman rank correlation between positive ED and the embracing sub-trait of curiosity remained significant (r_s = .20, p = .004). When controlling for overall negative affect, the partial Spearman rank correlation between negative ED and art expertise remained significant (r_s = .23, p = .001).

2 When controlling for openness, the partial Spearman rank correlation between positive ED and the embracing sub-trait of curiosity remained significant (r_s = .24, p = .0004). When controlling for openness, the partial Spearman rank correlation between negative ED and art expertise remained significant (r_s = .14, p = .045).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Interuniversity Poles of Attraction (IAP Network P7/16) of the Belgian Federal Science Policy Office [IAP/P7/06] and Research Fund of KU Leuven [GOA/15/003; OT/11/031].