The Aesthetic Brain
How We Evolved to Desire Beauty and Enjoy Art
Anjan Chatterjee
Reviews and Awards
"In this book, Dr Anjan Chatterjee. . . introduces us to the emerging field of neuroasthetics. . . In his cogent review of the long history of human artifact-making art, he carefully considers the many definitions of aesthetics, art, and beauty. . . The author comes to his persuasive conclusion after having carefully examined prehistoric art objects, the history of art, evolutionary biology, brain anatomy, and functional studies." - Roy G. Fitzgerald, MD, Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, Vol. 76, October 2015
"Chatterjee is a neuroscientist, so readers might expect a mechanistic treatise on beauty constructed from PET scans and clinical trials. But he offers no simple marriage of roses and neurons. To begin filling in the blanks left by neuroscience, he draws from anthropology, evolutionary biology, philosophy, and personal anecdotes. As Chatterjee reminds us, insight is the goal of science and art. His work succeeds by combining both toward a greater appreciation of the human experience."" - Bryan Bello, Science News
"The Aesthetic Brain offers an intriguing overview of the neural and historical underpinnings of beauty and art." - Scientific American
"[Chatterjee] makes a compelling case that although art and beauty may seem nonessential, they epitomize our search for pleasure and meaning in life." - Scientific American Mind
