Toward a greater understanding of profound and complex experiences during engagement with art.

This review focuses on two contemporary trends in the psychology of art. The first is a shift in research focus from hedonically based judgments of art, such as liking, preference, and beauty, toward more complex and profound outcomes of art engagement, such as experiencing self-transcendent emotions, experiencing a greater sense of meaning in life, and sensing personal transformation (awe, absorption, and being inspired and moved). The second trend involves new approaches to characterizing and conceptualizing art engagement. Examples include network analysis and latent profile analysis that help reveal the hidden and multidimensional nature of the aesthetic experience of art. Together, these trends suggest a shift toward understanding of art engagement as a multidimensional experience that can shape cognition, emotions, and the self.