The Aesthetic Brain takes the reader on a wide-ranging journey addressing fundamental questions about aesthetics and art. Using neuroscience and evolutionary psychology, Chatterjee shows how beauty, pleasure, and art are grounded biologically, and offers explanations for why beauty, pleasure, and art exist at all.

Examining the history of phrenology and physiognomy, Beauty and the Brain proposes a bold new way of understanding the connection between science, politics, and popular culture in early America. Between the 1770s and the 1860s, people all across the globe relied on physiognomy and phrenology to evaluate human worth. These once-popular but now discredited disciplines were based on a deceptively simple premise: that facial features or skull shape could reveal a person’s intelligence, character, and personality. In the United States, these were culturally ubiquitous sciences that both elite thinkers and ordinary people used to understand human nature. While the modern world dismisses phrenology and physiognomy as silly and debunked disciplines, Beauty and the Brain shows why they must be taken seriously: they were the intellectual tools that a diverse group of Americans used to debate questions of race, gender, and social justice. While prominent intellectuals and political thinkers invoked these sciences to justify hierarchy, marginalized people and progressive activists deployed them for their own political aims, creatively interpreting human minds and bodies as they fought for racial justice and gender equality. Ultimately, though, physiognomy and phrenology were as dangerous as they were popular. In addition to validating the idea that external beauty was a sign of internal worth, these disciplines often appealed to the very people who were damaged by their prejudicial doctrines. In taking physiognomy and phrenology seriously, Beauty and the Brain recovers a vibrant—if largely forgotten—cultural and intellectual universe, showing how popular sciences shaped some of the greatest political debates of the American past.

Frameworks -- Beauty -- Art -- Music -- Dance -- Architecture.

Unlock the adult brain's surprising potential--and look radiant from the inside out! Have you lost your healthy glow and that sparkle in your eyes? Is it becoming harder to recall names, faces, and where you left your keys? Has your life become routine? Are you so overwhelmed by work, family, finances (or all three) that you feel exhausted at the end of every day? If you answered "yes" to one or more of these questions, chances are you are in need of a brain/beauty makeover! Beautiful Brain, Beautiful You is for any woman who suffers from "Bad Brain Days." Harvard neurologist Marie Pasinski, M.D., gives women lifestyle advice proven to help them look younger and healthier without a trip to the cosmetic counter or plastic surgeon. Dr. Pasinski will show you how to tap into your brain's remarkable ability to change and redesign itself, giving you better mental clarity, as well as more energy and confidence. She will reveal how a sharper, stronger, and healthier brain can transform your life--at home, at work, and at play. By following the simple steps in Dr. Marie Pasinski's program, you will: discover why your brain is the essence of your beauty lose weight, sleep better, get fit make "Mommy Brain" or "Senior Moments" a thing of the past feel rejuvenated and more energized experience a new sense of control over your body and mind reveal the inner joy that comes from a beautiful brain Beautiful Brain, Beautiful You explains why beauty begins from the inside out. When your brain isn't at its best, you can't look your best. With its inspiring, easy-to-follow program and compelling scientific evidence, this breakthrough book will help you think, look, and feel ten years younger.

First published in 1980. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.