Inability to Appreciate Beauty

Post Reply New Topic

I've noticed a general lack of interest in beauty. Show me the most beautiful person in the world, and I'll see a person like any other person. Fireworks are just lights and sounds, and the boom hurts my ears. I can get the same amount of mild enjoyment from a neon sign, without the aural pain. I've hiked to the top of hills and mountains and looked down at the land spread out before me... only to immediately turn around and hike back down. Why would I have interest in a view that I can easily find on Google?

When I look at art, I can only do so critically. Are there any apparent mistakes? Perhaps there's a hidden object or message? As for the art itself, one picture is the same as any other, seen one, seen them all. I can find things funny or sad, and can even cry at emotional scenes. Horror movies scare me, and action movies excite me.

I wonder how normal this is, among the Autism Spectrum. Do any of you feel this way?

As an artist (one of my areas of intense interest) I have a difficulty understanding your pov, but I can acknowledge and validate it as something that can happen, even among Neurotypicals, and probably more pronounced in ASD persons who have that unique pov, as you say you do.

I would wonder if you find fascination in other areas, some excitement perhaps in maths or similar. Or perhaps music. That itself can be seen as beautiful, but not using the classical interpretation of the word. And if that bothers you to phrase it like that, then we can refrain from doing so and just appreciate the areas of interest you do have.

But I will say that sometimes the art community is a bit pretentious. I used to live in an area where artists far and wide would praise the beautiful, unique sunsets as being worthy of painting upon painting to capture the color and the light... and I would look at the sunset and be unimpressed, because I have seen a thousand sunsets before. Some were beautiful. Some were not. And none were any more or less impressive than ones I have seen in other places, some even in areas where you would not consider beauty to be seen (Cityscape sunsets are often downplayed as not qualifying as beautiful because...reasons I suppose).

And as I said, a lot of NT people have no ability to appreciate beauty. When I see a painting, I see it with eyes that understand color and form and shape and depth, and yes even mistakes and errors. One of my favorite artists can at times be haphazard and sloppy with some of his most "beautiful" art. I also am unimpressed by so-called "Masterpieces" like the Mona Lisa. I appreciate them not because I think they are beautiful, but because of the work and effort that goes into them to get a result, and knowing the work and effort that the artist went to to attain the results that are (artistically speaking) near perfect. The Mona Lisa is, in my opinion, a rather drab and unglamorous bit of art that doesn't inspire me in any great capacity otherwise.

So if you find yourself in such a position of not feeling inspired, impressed, or appreciative of what is considered to be beautiful, consider instead that maybe you are looking at the term "beauty" through the eyes of people who do not understand what the world looks like through YOUR eyes. And you might see things that others do not and hold appreciation for those things in a way that is it's own kind of beauty.

Again...assuming you are comfortable with the altered interpretation.

Because of an extra focus ability many Aspergers people have a greater propensity towards criticism. You might expand your definition of "beauty" to include a well turned phrase, a humorous encounter, a song that evokes an emotional response, or a well made puzzle. There are a variety of encounters that can touch the heart and evoke an appreciation or deeper response.

For humor try; Firesign Theater, Better off Ted, Seinfeld, Mark Twain's "Roughing It"
For music try; The earlier Moody Blues, Beethoven's 6th symphony, Renaissance

If a person is more inclined towards the analytical rather than the emotional. it doesn't mean that they are emotionally unresponsive. It may be that ones emotional sensitivities are more selectively exposed. They key would be to find what areas one can risk opening up and appreciating that which touches the heart.

Many an attractive woman has tarnished her beauty by speaking and showing what is in her heart. Many a plain woman has reveled true beauty by opening her mouth and showing humor, perceptiveness, and kindness. There is that which is rare and precious which when encountered shine forth with true beauty.

"beauty is in the eye of the beholder"

Golden Proportion

Most of what passes for artistic beauty these days is really nothing more than pretentious decadence with an inflated price tag and an egocentric "artiste" behind it.

Could part of the cause be anhedonia? I guess the touchstone would be whether or not you enjoy anything at all. I'm quite hard to impress and to entertain, or so it would seem. It's only the fact that occasionally I find something I like that stops me from concluding I'm anhedonic.

I think there's also a lot in the idea that mainstream criteria of attractiveness and beauty aren't as valid as they're cracked up to be, and that a lot of the time people are lying when they say this or that picture / person is "beautiful" or that they had a great time with some event or other. A lot of it is just schmooze and people trying to fit in and appear to like what they think everybody else likes.

grayscale, lack of appreciation for many of life's "good things" can be a side effect of depression and/or trauma as well.
Hope you can sort it all out.
Self care always first, do what is right for you; others' ideas of what is good or beautiful may differ.
"shoulds" and the idea of what one 'should' appreciate, want, enjoy, do, etc get too much weight in today's society.