Edward A. Vessel

TL;DR: A set of novel abstract, visually diverse images yielded robust and consistent visual preferences, and yet abstract images yielded much lower across observer agreement in preferences than did real-world images, suggesting that visual preferences are typically driven by the semantic content of stimuli.

TL;DR: In a task of rating images of artworks in an fMRI scanner, regions in the medial prefrontal cortex that are known to be part of the default mode network (DMN) were positively activated on the highest-rated trials, suggesting that certain artworks, albeit unfamiliar, may be so well-matched to an individual's unique makeup that they obtain access to the neural substrates concerned with the self.

TL;DR: It is suggested that the behavioral relevance of naturally occurring domains results in information processing, and hence aesthetic experience, that is highly conserved across individuals; artifacts of human culture require the use of more individual aesthetic sensibilities that reflect varying experiences and different sources of information.

TL;DR: In this article, the authors argue that the enjoyment of such experiences is deeply connected to an innate hunger for information: human beings are designed to be "in fovores" which is a craving that begins with viewing a dramatic landscape, conversation with a friend, or even a good magazine article.