Tuning in to art: A predictive processing account of negative emotion in art

Jun 13, 2017

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We use the example of art-derived solace to discuss a broader mechanism by which negative affect is instrumental in creating positive appreciation of artworks. Based on the theory of predictive processing, we argue that increasing attunement or reduction of prediction errors, which implies increasing validation of the agent(‘s models), is experienced as positive, even if the artwork’s content is negative.