Aesthetics shapes more than art—it influences how we think, feel, and act. From neuroscience to product design, a growing body of research shows that beauty and form impact our everyday choices.

Aesthetics Research Lab (ARL) interprets these insights across disciplines—connecting philosophy, design, technology, and culture to explore how aesthetic thinking shapes meaning and behavior.

Our work is grounded in durable understandings of the human condition, including the forces that shape judgment before we are aware of them. Through accessible research and everyday application, we move theories of aesthetics from abstraction into lived consequence.  

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Research

The Look of Power: Exploring Political Aesthetics

When we think about politics, we often focus on laws, institutions, or debates. But philosopher Crispin Sartwell, in his book Political Aesthetics, invites us to reconsider this narrow view. Politics, he argues, is inseparable from its sensory and visual dimension—the images, styles, symbols, and rituals that shape how power is experienced and understood. Not all … Continue reading The Look of Power: Exploring Political Aesthetics

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Some Collaborations

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