{
  "id": 7906047,
  "title": "New study disentangles the concepts of beauty and attractiveness in art",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/17/new-study-disentangles-the-concepts-of-beauty-and-attractiveness-in",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-09-17T00:00:26.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "PsyPost",
    "slug": "psypost",
    "url": "https://www.psypost.org/new-study-disentangles-the-concepts-of-beauty-and-attractiveness-in-art/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "A recent study examined the distinctions between beauty and attractiveness in art portraits, revealing that while the two concepts are closely linked, they are influenced by different factors. Conducted by researcher Gregor U. Hayn-Leichsenring, the study analyzed 192 portraits from various artistic styles, including Baroque, Impressionism, and Expressionism. Participants, 300 adults aged 18 to 71, rated the portraits for both attractiveness and beauty on a 9-point scale. Researchers discovered that beauty ratings were more closely related to self-similarity and mirror symmetry, while attractiveness ratings were less dependent on these image properties. The findings suggest that beauty evaluations are influenced more by cognitive processes and specific image qualities, particularly in Baroque portraits.",
  "summary": "A new psychological study of 192 portraits confirms that beauty and attractiveness are not identical. Researchers found that judging an artwork’s beauty involves cognitive processes and structural symmetry, while assessing the subject's attractiveness does not.",
  "key_points": [
    "Beauty and attractiveness in art are distinct concepts",
    "Beauty linked to self-similarity and mirror symmetry",
    "Attractiveness less dependent on image properties"
  ],
  "editors_take": "The study's findings indicate that cognitive processes and specific image qualities play a larger role in determining beauty than attractiveness in art portraits, particularly in certain artistic styles.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}