Aesthetic pleasure emerges not from emotional intensity alone but from how the mind organizes complex emotional states into coherent meaning. The present study examined how five indices of emotional complexity—Subjective Emotional Complexity, Emotional Conflict, Emotional Diversity, Emotional Semantic Space Span, and Emotional Surprisal—predict aesthetic preference across artworks. A total of 377 participants evaluated 100 paintings, each rating approximately 50. Multilevel analyses revealed that emotional complexity reliably predicted aesthetic preference at both individual and group levels. At the individual level, Emotional Semantic Space Span and Emotional Surprisal were the strongest positive predictors, indicating that broader and less predictable emotional configurations enhanced liking. Emotional Conflict and Emotional Diversity were negatively associated with preference, suggesting that excessive differentiation may diminish aesthetic appeal. At the group level, however, the predictive pattern shifted: Subjective Emotional Complexity and Emotional Surprisal became dominant positive predictors, whereas the effect of Semantic Space Span reversed direction. These cross-level contrasts suggest that emotional complexity operates differently across analytical scales—individual preference reflects intra-personal differentiation and novelty, while group-level preference reflects inter-subjective integration and coherence. Together, these findings provide quantitative evidence that emotional complexity serves as a structural principle of aesthetic experience, clarifying how differentiated yet integrated affective processes transform emotional multiplicity into shared experiences of beauty.

Authors:
Jingchun Xu, Kyoto University, Japan
Jun Saiki, Kyoto University, Japan

About the Presenter(s)
Ms. Xu is currently a doctoral student at Kyoto University, Japan. Her research focuses on experimental aesthetics, emotion, and visual cognition, exploring how emotional complexity shapes aesthetic experience.

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