审美，真的是自我意识

神经科学家发现，我们对美的体验与一个意想不到的大脑区域有关

Neuroscientists think they have found a key area in our brains that helps us assess and respond to what we find beautiful, also known as aesthetic appeal. And that appeal could be more linked to our sense of self than you might expect.

神经科学家认为他们在我们的大脑中发现了一个关键区域，帮助我们评估和回应我们发现的美丽，也被称为审美吸引力。这种吸引力与我们的自我意识的联系可能比你想象的还要紧密。

When something pleases us visually - whether it's a fine piece of artwork, a beautiful feat of architecture, or an untouched natural landscape - new research demonstrates there is a pattern of activity in what's known as the default mode network (DMN).

当某样东西在视觉上让我们感到愉悦时——无论是一件精美的艺术品、一幅美丽的建筑杰作，还是一幅未经雕琢的自然景观——新的研究表明，在所谓的“默认模式网络”(DMN)中存在一种活动模式。

The DMN is a large-scale system of interacting regions in the brain that appears to play a role in how we regulate our sense of self; this network is most active when we're self-reflecting, remembering, or imagining.

DMN是大脑中一个大型的相互作用区域系统，它似乎在我们如何调节自我意识方面发挥着作用;当我们进行自我反省、记忆或想象时，这个网络是最活跃的。

That's what makes its emerging role in aesthetics so interesting, since the findings of this latest study suggest - a deeply moving visual experience is processed by the same brain network that's strongly involved in who we are as individuals.

这就是为什么它在美学中所扮演的新角色如此有趣，因为这项最新研究的发现表明——一个深刻感人的视觉体验是由同一个大脑网络处理的，而这个网络与我们作为个体的身份密切相关。

As the new research indicates, when people were shown images of artwork, natural landscapes or buildings, the most 'moving' images, no matter what the subject matter, inspired a strong spike of activity in the DMN.

新的研究表明，当人们看到艺术作品、自然景观或建筑的图片时，无论主题是什么，最“动人”的图片都会激发DMN中强烈的活动。

Measuring brain activity in 16 participants using fMRI, the researchers found images of artwork, buildings and landscapes showed very different patterns of activity in visual brain regions - no matter whether participants considered them moving or not.

研究人员使用功能磁共振成像技术对16名参与者的大脑活动进行了测量，发现艺术品、建筑物和景观的图像显示了大脑视觉区域非常不同的活动模式——无论参与者是否认为它们在移动。

The DMN, on the other hand, had a different response. This network was relatively quiet when something was not considered particularly beautiful, but when one of these images evoked a stronger aesthetic response, the DMN became just as active as the visual regions, regardless of what was featured in the image.

另一方面，DMN有不同的反应。当某物不被认为特别漂亮时，这个网络相对安静，但当其中一个图像引起更强烈的审美反应时，DMN就和视觉区域一样活跃，而不管图像中有什么特征。

Most of the time, when looking at things in the external world, the visual parts of the brain are the most active and the default mode network is mostly disengaged. It's only when something really moves us, the authors argue, that the DMN perks up and performs just as much as the visual areas.

大多数时候，当我们看外部世界的东西时，大脑的视觉部分是最活跃的，默认模式的网络大部分是空闲的。作者认为，只有当某些东西真正打动我们的时候，DMN才会活跃起来，并像视觉区域一样发挥作用。

It's still unclear exactly what the DNM's role is in our response to beauty, but the new findings suggest that various visually aesthetic experiences are somehow linked to a sense of self in the brain.

目前还不清楚DNM在我们对美的反应中究竟扮演着什么角色，但新的发现表明，各种视觉审美体验在某种程度上与大脑中的自我意识有关。