Incompleteness, aesthetic sensitivity, and the obsessive-compulsive need for symmetry

• Obsessive-compulsive symmetry symptoms are linked to trait incompleteness (INC).
• We examined whether INC predicts symmetry-related aesthetic sensitivity or skill.
• High INC and control nonclinical participants were compared.
• Groups differed in symmetry symptoms and aesthetic sensitivity (preference) but not skill (accuracy).
• Results suggest high INC is linked with an enhanced preference for visual symmetry.

Background and objectivesThe “need for symmetry” is a well recognized yet little understood feature of obsessive-compulsive (OC) experience. In light of the strong associations between the OC-related trait of incompleteness and symmetry-related behaviors and symptoms, and between perceptual symmetry and aesthetic judgments, this study examined whether trait incompleteness is associated with enhanced natural aesthetic skill and/or aesthetic sensitivity, particularly as they pertain to visual symmetry.MethodsA quasi-experimental design was used to compare the responses of nonclinical individuals with high versus average levels of trait incompleteness on self-report measures and two performance measures of aesthetic judgment.ResultsCompared to controls, participants high in incompleteness reported higher levels of self-perceived symmetry-related concerns and behaviors, and displayed greater aesthetic sensitivity in the form of substantially heightened preferences for symmetry in images. Contrary to the hypothesis relating to aesthetic skill, however, the two groups did not differ in their capacity to estimate accurately the objective aesthetic value of images. Nor did they differ in self-reported aesthetics interests and background.LimitationsA clinical sample was not included.ConclusionsFindings provide evidence that high trait incompleteness is associated not just with symptomatic symmetry-related concerns but with a nonspecific heightened preference for visual symmetry. Conceptual implications are discussed, particularly the potential value of the perceptual fluency theory of symmetry and aesthetic response for explaining the association between incompleteness and symmetry preferences and symptoms.