This session examines the growing field of neuroaesthetics, which studies the neural mechanisms and psychological processes involved in aesthetic experience, and the ethical questions it raises across research, clinical practice, design, and technology. We will explore and question the assumption that these experiences can be explained mainly through neuroimaging techniques and brain mechanisms. The discussion will focus on whether measurements of reward pathways, visual processing, and emotion networks can capture the long, evolving nature of aesthetic experience.
- Nancy Choe
- Mathew Lamb
- Lisa Hinz
- Cleo Valentine
- Aime Aguilar Herrera
Attend
Neuroethics 2026
Building Bridges and Cultivating Community
Wednesday, April 15, 2026
This session was part of the Neuroethics 2026 conference organized by the INS and hosted by the Stanford Center for Biomedical Ethics at the Littlefield Center.
Agenda
- Overview / 5 minutes
- Framing the core questions / 2 minutes
- Artmaking activity / 10 minutes
- Panelist presentations / 25 minutes
- Facilitated discussion / 13 minutes
- Questions & Closing / 5 minutes
Description
This session examines the growing field of neuroaesthetics, which studies the neural mechanisms and psychological processes involved in aesthetic experience, and the ethical questions it raises across research, clinical practice, design, and technology. We will critically explore the assumption that aesthetic experience’s relationship with well-being can be adequately explained through brain-based frameworks alone, asking whether scientific and technological approaches can truly capture the long, evolving nature of how people encounter and make meaning through art.
Aesthetic experiences unfold through practice, interaction, cultural learning, and community, which raises important questions about what neural data can and cannot tell us. Participants will engage in a shared art-making activity led by an art therapist, setting the groundwork for a moderated conversation with expert panelists representing art therapy, neuroarchitecture, neuroengineering, and creative technology. Together, the panel will examine the limits of current neuroaesthetic research, the tension that arises from treating subjective meaning as neural output, and the broader ethical responsibilities that emerge when neuroaesthetic frameworks are applied in practice.
Neuroaesthetics is becoming more visible in design, healthcare, and consumer technology. Many public-facing claims simplify aesthetic experience into patterns of brain activation, even though well-being often grows through repeated practice, community connection, and complex personal contexts. An international neuroethics conference is a timely place to question how far neural explanations should go and to include voices from beyond neuroscience alone.
Objectives:
- Examine the assumption that brain mechanisms and neural data can fully capture the complexity of aesthetic and creative experience across clinical, design, and technological contexts.
- Address the ethical risks of prioritizing quantitative metrics in neuroaesthetics, specifically examining what elements are lost when biometrics become the sole measure of wellness.
Human aesthetic experience is explored as a holistic, integrative experience. It also raises ethical concerns about relying solely on neural data to guide decisions about well-being, using beauty-related brain findings to justify design or therapeutic choices, and building technology that may reinforce narrow norms.
Speakers
Mathew Lamb
Reality Labs, Meta
Mathew Lamb is a creative technologist with a background in design, neuroscience, visual FX, computer vision, machine learning, and robotics. He works at Meta’s Reality Labs.
Lisa Hinz
Associate Professor of Art Therapy, Director of Art Therapy,
Dominican University of California
Lisa D. Hinz, PhD, ATR-BC is a licensed clinical psychologist and board certified art therapist. She is also an associate professor and director of the Art Therapy Psychology Doctoral Program at Dominican University of California in San Rafael, California. Dr. Hinz is the author of many professional publications and three books on art therapy. She specializes in the treatment of eating issues, substance abuse, and lifestyle medicine; she maintains a private practice in St. Helena, California.
Cleo Valentine
Senior Design Researcher in Neuroarchitecture, HKS
Senior Research & Innovation Lead, Research Institutes of Sweden
Cleo Valentine is a design researcher specializing in architectural neurophysiology and bioethics. Her work explores the impact of architectural forms on neuroimmunological activity, with a particular focus on the relationship between neuroinflammation and the built environment. This research aims to uncover new insights that can inform architectural practices to promote better health outcomes.
Aime Aguilar-Herrera
Graduate Student Research Assistant, IUCRC Brain Center
Aime Aguilar-Herrera is a biomedical engineer with experience in neuroengineering research and regenerative medicine research. She is deeply passionate about programming and data science and has a focus on developing neural interfaces to measure cognitive performance of students, athletes and artists.
Moderator
Nancy Choe
Assistant Professor of Marital & Family Therapy/Art Therapy, Loyola Marymount University
Nancy Choe (PhD, LMFT, ATR-BC) is an art therapist whose work centers on interdisciplinary approaches to holistic, creativity-driven wellness. Her research explores the evolving role of digital media and AI in therapeutic and creative contexts, and draws on neuroaesthetics, art materials and media, and narrative medicine to support well-being. She is currently investigating the use of art-based interventions to foster resilience and community belonging in the aftermath of a climate-related disaster.
Resources
Keywords: neuroaesthetics, neuroethics, art therapy, holistic creativity
Recording
A recording of this session will be made available to registered attendees.