The intersection of aesthetics and movement: the impact of lateral movements on facial aesthetics, with regard to gender differences

This study explored the embodied effects of lateral hand movements on the aesthetic processing of faces, as well as any gender differences in these effects. In Experiment 1, the psychological reality of the “action-aesthetics” embodied effect was tested by manipulating the direction of hand movements. Experiment 2 further investigated the role of spatial metaphors related to “horizontal direction versus beauty or ugliness” in shaping this effect. Experiment 3 examined how tendencies toward proximity or avoidance influenced and regulated the “action-aesthetics” embodied effect. Data were analyzed using reaction time measurements, the Hierarchical Diffusion Model (HDDM), and event-related potentials (ERP). The results showed that compared to the “beauty-right-shift” condition, subjects exhibited closer tendencies toward the “beauty-left…” direction.