Associate Professor Miho Fuyama and her colleagues’ paper has been published in Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts

Associate Professor Miho Fuyama (RARA Associate Fellow) co-authored a paper with Dr. Hideyuki Hoshi (Senior Researcher) and Professor Tomohiro Ishizu, both of whom are collaborators in the JST CREST project “Transition and Effects of Quantum Cognitive States: The Worth and Control of Indeterminacy.” The paper has been published in Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts.

This study investigates the structure of “mixed emotional experiences”, which involve both positive and negative emotional experiences—such as “sad beauty” or “fearful enjoyment”—during art appreciation. By analyzing the emotional responses of 948 participants using 356 paintings, the research explored which emotions tend to mix, which types of paintings are more likely to evoke mixed emotions, and whether mixed emotions co-occur with a feeling of beauty. The results suggested that mixed emotions combining negative emotion with feelings of beauty were present, as well as mixed emotions combining negative and positive emotion, though the latter tended to be weaker in intensity. Differences in mixed emotions were also suggested depending on the type of painting. Furthermore, the study indicated distinctions between positive emotions and a feeling of beauty, and that mixed emotions combining negative and positive emotions correlate with a feeling of beauty.

Paper title: Mixed Emotional Structure of Paintings
Authors: Hideyuki Hoshi (Ritsumeikan University, Kansai University), Miho Fuyama, Tomohiro Ishizu (Kansai University)
Publication journal: Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts
Online publication date: December 3, 2025
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/aca0000832