Aesthetic valuation is an important aspect of cognition that affects decision-making 1, 2, memory [3], and creative behavior [4]. Experiences that engage aesthetic valuation, ranging from a walk in nature to visiting an art museum, represent core aspects of human experience that can emotionally move [5], creatively inspire [6], affect mood [7], and positively impact health [8]. The cognitive neuroscience of aesthetic experiences has progressed remarkably in the past two decades, yet much remains unknown. Fitting with Chatterjee & Vartanian’s ‘Aesthetic Triad’ model [9], neuroimaging studies with visual content as diverse as artworks, natural scenes, faces, and architecture have shown clear modulation of both perceptual (higher-order visual) and reward systems (parts of the striatum and orbitofrontal cortex) by aesthetically appealing stimuli 10, 11, 12, 13. Less clear, however, is the neural basis for what Chatterjee & Vartanian call the ‘knowledge-meaning’ component of aesthetic processing.

In 2012, we reported that the default mode network (DMN) appeared to play a role in the aesthetic valuation of strongly ‘moving’ artworks [14]. Since then, the DMN has come to be recognized as a key part of the brain’s system for sense-making 15, 16. The DMN consists of ‘core’ regions anterior medial prefrontal cortex (aMPFC) and posterior cingulate cortex (PCC), along with medial temporal (ventromedial PFC [vMPFC], posterior inferior parietal lobe [pIPL], parahippocampal cortex [PHC], retrosplenial cortex [RSC], hippocampus [HC]) and dorsal medial subsystems (dorsal medial PFC [dMPFC], temporoparietal junction [TPJ], lateral temporal cortex [LTC], temporal pole [TempP] 17, 18; though see Ref. [19] for additional discussion of substructure). Here, we review findings on the DMN’s involvement in processing aesthetically engaging and appealing experiences across a variety of domains, including visual art, landscape, music, narrative art forms, and dance. We then consider several hypotheses for the role of the DMN in aesthetic appeal.