Can Be Beauty Calculated?

In this study we focus on three historical concepts of using of mathematical approach to beauty and aesthetic (taste) standard of mathematical thinking in early formation of modern aesthetics of the eighteenth century. The first is Hume’s idea of statistical standardization and the significance of rareness and excellence, as a desire for specific positive deviation. Second model of aesthetic thinking is Reid’s aesthetic realism. In this theory of taste and art the attention is paid to the study of the parameters and attributes of objects, as well as to the fact that a beautiful object contains cognitively significant information. Those who perceive it are, or should be, able to deal with and understand this information. Important part of these considerations is the analysis of ontological status of beauty and the term of excellence. In the conclusion of this study, we try to highlight the mathematical algorithm of aesthetic standards creation and ideal in Kant’s Critique of Judgment. We attempt to suggest the potential of all three approaches in contemporary scientific cognitive aesthetic research

The Role of Intelligence in Female Face Perception: Verbal NotVisual-Spatial IQ Intervenes with Intelligence Assessment in Face Composites

Study concentrates on the relation between intelligence (verbal and visual-spatial) of the observers and their ability to detect the intelligence from the face features of the others. It also studies the connection of intelligence of the observer with their preferences for attractiveness of the female faces, which differ in the levels of visible intelligence. Subjects involved in the study were 415 Slovaks (all of European race; 284 (68,4%) females) with the mean age 21,39 years (st. dev=6,254). Results show, that people who detect the intelligence from the female face composite better, score higher in intelligence than the others. Also, subject who assigned as the prettiest the face which was the most intelligent scored significantly higher in intelligence as those who were attracted more by middle and low intelligent faces. An important finding is, that observed connection applies for verbal intelligence only and not for visual-spatial intelligence

Can Be Beauty Calculated?

In this study we focus on three historical concepts of using of mathematical approach to beauty and aesthetic (taste) standard of mathematical thinking in early formation of modern aesthetics of the eighteenth century. The first is Hume’s idea of statistical standardization and the significance of rareness and excellence, as a desire for specific positive deviation. Second model of aesthetic thinking is Reid’s aesthetic realism. In this theory of taste and art the attention is paid to the study of the parameters and attributes of objects, as well as to the fact that a beautiful object contains cognitively significant information. Those who perceive it are, or should be, able to deal with and understand this information. Important part of these considerations is the analysis of ontological status of beauty and the term of excellence. In the conclusion of this study, we try to highlight the mathematical algorithm of aesthetic standards creation and ideal in Kant’s Critique of Judgment. We attempt to suggest the potential of all three approaches in contemporary scientific cognitive aesthetic research

Self-Harm in Adolescence as Maladaptive Coping

Psychologists, psychiatrists, doctors, and other associated professions, as well as the public from all over Europe have noticed the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health. In this regard, adolescents appear to be a highly vulnerable group, which is more affected than adults and children in many aspects. This study focuses on a specific and extremely maladaptive way of coping with mental stress and problems – deliberate self-harm. It offers an epidemiological study of the prevalence of self-harm among Slovak youths, its forms and related variables, carried out on a sample of 2,280 adolescents aged 11 – 19 using the SHI questionnaire. The results reveal that within the overall prevalence of 45.2%, the most vulnerable group are girls from non-traditional families who began to self-harm at an early age. The most frequent forms of self-harm among adolescents were torturing with self-defeating thoughts, followed by both direct and indirect forms of physical self-harm. An analysis of the willingness to disclose self-harming behaviour shows that the need to raise awareness of this behaviour should be mostly oriented towards adolescents.</em

The Evolutionary Principles of the Attractiveness of Symmetry and Their Possible Sustainability in the Context of Research Ambiguities

Symmetry belongs to one of the basic principles of the beauty of human and non-human objects since antiquity. Even though its significance has been verified by numerous theories and research studies, there is a number of papers suggesting that this principle may be false. The study identifies five major evolutionary principles, in the context of new approaches and research ambiguities based mainly on neuroscience and evolutionary psychology, that support the thesis that highlights the significance of symmetry in the perception and assessment of attractiveness: 1. symmetry as an honest signal of various health characteristics; 2. symmetry as proof of developmental stability; 3. effectiveness; 4. comprehensibility; 5. predictability. In the context of the mechanisms described above it also seeks possible explanations for the existence of contradictory research results related to the attractiveness of symmetry. The outcome of the study is the postulation of three hypotheses: 1. the naturalness hypothesis (symmetry is only attractive to the same degree that it naturally occurs in the subject); 2. the accent hypothesis (minor asymmetries do not disprove the principles of symmetry, they make them more visible); 3. the ecology hypothesis (the attractiveness of symmetry is conditioned by the situation and depends on the type of subject assessed) that allow us to integrate both past and contemporary (and putatively contradictory) research findings. The paper also provides proposals for the verification of the postulated hypotheses.</p

Gender differences in adolescent self-harming behaviour

The occurrence of self-harming behaviour as a non-adaptive coping strategy within the adolescent population is on the increase. In an effort to clarify the occurrence and characteristics of this high-risk behaviour, many experts have focused on an examination of the various variables related to the prevalence, risk, or protective factors of self-harm. Many studies have focused on gender differences; however, the results have been mixed. The study provides basic data on the incidence of self-harm in a group of male and female (N = 1699) adolescents (11-19 years, AM = 15.24). Through an analysis of the differences in prevalence, intensity, and types of self-harming behaviour, related to gender, it tries to identify the reasons for the different findings in the published literature. The results show that although the prevalence and overall intensity of self-harm is statistically higher in women, this does not apply to the most frequently studied direct physical forms of self-harm. Through its findings, the study draws attention to the need for a clear definition of self-harm as well as to the consequences of different diagnostic approaches

The levels of depression in self-harming youths with a heterosexual and non-heterosexual orientation

Self-harm is a high-risk behaviour that mainly occurs in youths as a response to psychological burdens. Its prevalence increases during psychologically demanding situations, under the influence of stress, within specific social groups (e.g., minorities) or in groups that have some mental or psychological conditions. The study concentrates on self-harming youths (aged from 15 to 25, AM = 19.32 years) and investigates the presence of a specific clinical category – depression – while also taking into account the sexual orientation of participants (N=252). The results show that self-harming youths have an extremely high score in the rating of depression (59.9% of participants reported extremely severe levels). The levels of depression are significantly higher (sig. of Mann-Whitney U test = 0.034) in non-heterosexual youths than those found in heterosexual self-harming peers (the majority). The influences of social stressors (stigmatization, victimization, prejudice, or discrimination) on minorities are discussed, together with a recommendation to examine the interrelationships between psychological stressors, clinical categories, and self-harming behaviour with an emphasis on the identification of risk factors for self-harm

COVID-19 and Social Distancing: A Cross-Cultural Study of Interpersonal Distance Preferences and Touch Behaviors Before and During the Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to the introduction of unprecedented safety measures, one of them being physical distancing recommendations. Here, we assessed whether the pandemic has led to long-term effects on two important physical distancing aspects, namely interpersonal distance preferences and interpersonal touch behaviors. We analyzed nearly 14,000 individual cases from two large, cross-cultural surveys – the first conducted 2 years prior to the pandemic and the second during a relatively stable period of a decreased infection rate in May-June 2021. Preferred interpersonal distances increased by 54% globally during the COVID-19 pandemic. This increase was observable across all types of relationships, all countries, and was more pronounced in individuals with higher self-reported vulnerability to diseases. Unexpectedly, participants reported a higher incidence of interpersonal touch behaviors during than before the pandemic. We discuss our results in the context of prosocial and self-protection motivations that potentially promote different social behaviors