Who Likes the Grotesque? Mapping Individual Differences in Liking of Grotesque Artworks

Why do some people find allure in artworks that focus on elements of repulsion, horror, and the bizarre? Across two studies, we examined how openness to experience, sensation seeking, need for affect, emotionality, disgust sensitivity, political orientation, art knowledge, and participant gender relate to the liking of grotesque art. In Study 1, participants (N = 203) rated their liking and interest in 40 works of grotesque art. As ratings of liking and interest were highly correlated (r =.88), we averaged them into one variable indicating liking. In Study 2, participants (N = 396) rated their liking of 20 works of grotesque art and 20 works of non-grotesque art (chosen based on a pilot study, N = 201). Results revealed that openness to experience, sensation seeking, art knowledge, left-leaning political orientation, and male gender were positively associated with the liking of grotesque art, whereas emotionality and disgust sensitivity were negatively associated with the liking of grotesque art. Of these variables, only openness to experience (positively) related to the liking of non-grotesque art. These results give insight into the personality characteristics that might underlie people’s motivation to embrace or reject grotesque art.