I contributed to the Nature Reviews Psychology Journal Club, highlighting work by Winfried and my supervisor Thomas, and also discussing contributions by Martin @mskov01.bsky.social and Marcos. I’m excited by the lively and growing discussions in this field!
Read it here:
rdcu.be/eVjcb
Hitsuwari, J., & Nomura, M. (2025). Neural basis of ambiguity and aesthetic experience in haiku poetry: An fMRI study [Preprint]. Research Square. doi.org/10.21203/rs....
Higher beauty ratings were also associated with increased activity in the primary visual cortex. These findings suggest that haiku engage self-referential processing and imagery construction, with vivid visual imagery contributing to aesthetic experience.
New preprint out!
This is the first fMRI study on the neural basis of haiku appreciation. Low-ambiguity haiku were rated as more beautiful and strongly activated default mode network regions (posterior cingulate cortex and left inferior parietal lobule).
Crossroads of Research and Experience of Art (CREA, crea-workshop.com) 2025 will take place on December 19th at the Aesthetics & Learning Lab (IWM, Tübingen). This year’s theme: Learning in and from Museums. We will host interactive, practical exercises, and plenty of idea-sharing #MuseumResearch
📣 New Paper Alert!
My PhD student Hannah Ovadia and I wrote a concise update on “The Role of the Default Mode Network (DMN) in Aesthetic Appeal” to synthesize evidence, highlight issues, and most importantly, consider theoretical alternatives.
Free access:
authors.elsevier.com/a/1lz-h8MqMi...
Welcome to the IAEA Aesthetics Conference 2026 in Jena!
We are delighted to announce that the International Association for Empirical Aesthetics (IAEA) will hold its next international conference in Jena, Germany, from 5th to 8th May.
Discover more at iaea-jena2026.org (link in bio)
While it can be challenging to convey the nuances of dance to European audiences, I started by having people watch videos to get an impression before discussing the topic. I hope the data on cultural differences in dance appreciation between Japanese and German people resonated with many attendees!
My presentation explored the aesthetic appreciation of Bugaku comparing perspectives between Japanese and German. It was truely meaningful to share the research on the cultural differences in dance appreciation among many dance researchers, including organizers Emily @escross.bsky.social and Ionela.
Poster presentation successfully completed!
I had the privilege of presenting at the Aesthetics 2025 conference: "Arts Engagement and Aesthetic Experience: Bridging the Gap between Arts and Sciences" (September 28 - October 2, 2025, Monte Verità, Ascona, Switzerland).
Examining attitudes toward ambiguity clarified the distinction between acceptance and fear.
Hitsuwari, J., & Takano, R. (2025). Associating attitudes towards AI and ambiguity: The distinction of acceptance and fear of AI. Acta Psychologica, 260, 105581. doi.org/10.1016/j.ac...
New paper published! It’s open access—please take a look!
We developed the Japanese version of a scale to measure attitudes toward AI (ATAI). The scale captures two key factors: AI acceptance and AI fear—including the tendency to accept AI even while feeling fear.
In addition, I visited Hitotsubashi University and Meiji Gakuin University, where I had fruitful discussions with faculty members.
I will continue to further develop my research in Germany and look forward to sharing my progress with colleagues in Japan when I return in the future.
It was a great honor to have my supervisor, Prof. Thomas Jacobsen, join me at the conference of the Japanese Psychological Association held in Sendai.
During my three-week stay in Japan, I had the opportunity to give four presentations at two conferences (the Japanese Psychological Association and the Japanese Cognitive Science Society).
Excited to share a call for articles for a special issue of Education Sciences on #aesthetics #creativity and #emotionalintelligence @mdpiopenaccess.bsky.social
that I am co-editing w/ John Pellitteri and Jessica Hoffmann
@iaea-aesthetics.bsky.social
More: www.mdpi.com/journal/educ...
Finished my poster presentation at the Japanese Psychological Association!
I explored the beauty of ikebana by quantitatively examining symmetry, a classic theme in empirical aesthetics. Since this project has only just begun, I was grateful to receive so much valuable feedback today🫶
I just came to #VSAC2025 !!! I'll give a poster presentation today about Ikebana💐 The most beautiful name tag ever!!!
@vsac-social.bsky.social
Hi Bluesky! 🦋
We are the Aesthetics and Learning Lab (ALL).
ALLab is based in the Leibniz-Institut für Wissensmedien (IWM) in Tübingen. Its aim is to empirically investigate how and what can be learned from aesthetic experiences ✨
Stay tuned, for now... That's ALL folks!
Wow Ceren! It's been a while! Thank you so much😊
In Study 2, conducted at a spa facility, only those who used the sauna showed increased mindfulness tendencies.
doi.org/10.1037/cns0...
Our paper on how sauna bathing affects psychological states and personality traits has just been published! @kittykat931.bsky.social
Study 1 showed that regular sauna users have more vivid bodily sensation imagery and give higher aesthetic ratings to haiku.
🚨 New Publication! 🚨
📚✨ How do text and image features on book covers influence what we remember and how we evaluate them?
As part of a collaborative project with @evalabs.bsky.social @univie.ac.at & literature researchers in Verona
Full study in Literature (MDPI):
👉 doi.org/10.3390/lite...
Hitsuwari, J., Weiler, M. Selina, Manolika, M., & Jacobsen, T. (2025). Aesthetic Appreciation of Japanese Traditional Dance: A Mixed-Methods Cross-Cultural Study. doi.org/10.21203/rs....
Our preprint on Bugaku (Japanese court dance) is out! Japanese and German participants watched Bugaku videos and shared their impressions. Japanese participants reported higher liking and transcendental experience, while Germans focused more on movement details. Check it out!
Just applied to #VSAC2025 !! Very excited!!
I downloaded the photo from there — I’m in this pic! 😊 I really enjoyed the summer school with EVAlabs!
Hitsuwari, J., & Nomura, M. (2025). Effects of emotional and cognitive changes on aesthetic evaluation of poetry based on subjective and physiological continuous responses with pupil diameter measurement. Perceptual and Motor Skills. doi.org/10.1177/0031...
Preprint:
doi.org/10.21203/rs....
Our findings suggest that resolving ambiguity may enhance aesthetic appreciation.
Paper and preprint available here:
