Prefer intricate shapes? You may also favor complex melodies
A shape can be considered complex because it has many sides. A complex melody may feature varied pitches and rhythms. Does the mind treat these as separate features, or can it recognize something common beneath their differences?
People with an affinity for complex shapes may also be drawn to intricate melodies, according to new research. A study by Johns Hopkins University suggests we may possess a shared mental shortcut when it comes to understanding complexity in various forms such as shapes, sounds, words, and mathematical expressions. Researchers found that after participants learned to recognize and choose the more complex option in one category, they applied the same strategy to other unrelated categories, indicating a unified representation of complexity in the mind.
The findings, published in Nature Human Behaviour, suggest this capacity may be an evolutionary advantage that helps us navigate a world filled with information.
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