Symmetry as an Inter-Cultural Feature Constituting Beauty: Implicit and Explicit Beauty Evaluation of Visual Symmetry in Japan

Abstract

Symmetry has been recognized as one of the most important visual features to predict aesthetic preferences and was discussed as a potentially universal feature of beauty judgments. Recent studies have challenged such universality claims, by showing that art experts prefer asymmetric stimuli in explicit evaluations, suggesting that artistic training might modify the preference for symmetry. In the present study, we examine whether cultural habituation might also influence beauty judgments in regard to symmetry in abstract visual patterns. Given the traditional preference for asymmetry in Japanese art and design, we tested if Japanese participants (N = 31) evaluate symmetric abstract visual patterns as more beautiful than asymmetric ones in explicit and implicit (IAT) tasks. We found that Japanese participants clearly evaluated symmetric stimuli as more beautiful than asymmetric ones. We conclude that cultural habituation with asymmetry—in contrast to artistic training—did not cause higher beauty ratings for asymmetry.