ArticleFrontiers in human neuroscience2026
Neural substrates of ambiguity and beauty in haiku poetry: an fMRI study.
Article in Frontiers in human neuroscience, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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Abstract
Although neuroaesthetics has extensively examined visual art and music, the neural mechanisms underlying poetic appreciation remain less explored. This fMRI study investigated how the brain processes ambiguity and aesthetic experiences using haiku, the world's shortest form of poetry. Originating in Japan, haiku is characterized by extreme brevity, often omitting information to compel readers to generate mental imagery and confront inherent ambiguities. Thirty-nine participants read haiku, which were pre-categorized via an independent survey into high- and low-ambiguity conditions, and rated their beauty inside the scanner. Consistent with previous findings, the behavioral results indicated a preference for low-ambiguity haiku (a small effect, standardized
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