Dr. Albert Flexas
Laboratory of Human Sistematics – Universidad de las Islas Baleares
Founder of Mallorca Creativa.
albert@mallorcacreativa.com
Neuroaesthetics and neuroethics.
Biosketch
I’ve been always fascinated by the human beings. So I studied psychology and I became interested especially on basic research. As a member of the Human Evolution and Cognition research group (EvoCog, associated with IFISC. UIB-CSIC), I have participated in several investigation projects related about the traits that characterizes the human species. My PhD work was framed to the project ‘The moral and aesthetic nature of humans. Systematic characterization of derived human traits of moral and aesthetics’, and was focused on the conditionants of aesthetic appreciation. My PhD supervisors were Camilo J. Cela-Conde and Enric Munar.
Main publications
Flexas A, Rosselló J, de Miguel P, Nadal M and Munar E (2014) Cognitive control and unusual decisions about beauty: an fMRI study. Front. Hum. Neurosci. 8:520. doi: 10.3389/fnhum.2014.00520
Christensen, J.F., Flexas, A., Calabrese, M., Gut, N.K., Gomila, A. (2014). Moral Judgment Reloaded: A Moral Dilemma validation study. Frontiers in Psychology, 5( 607). doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2014.00607
Flexas A, Rosselló J, Christensen, JF, Nadal M, Olivera La Rosa A, et al. (2013) Affective Priming Using Facial Expressions Modulates Liking for Abstract Art. PLoS ONE 8(11): e80154. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0080154
Cattaneo, Z.; Lega, C.; Flexas, A.; Nadal, M.; Munar, E.; Cela-Conde, C.J. (2013) The world can look better: enhancing beauty experience with brain stimulation. Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience
Cela-Conde, C., García-Prieto, J., Ramasco J. J., Mirasso, C., Bajo, R., Munar, E., Flexas, A., del-Pozo, F., Maestú, F. (2013) Dynamics of brain networks in the aesthetic appreciation. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
Zaidel, D. W., Nadal, M., Flexas, A., Munar, E. (2013). An evolutionary approach to art and aesthetic experience. Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts, 7(1), 100-109.
Nadal, M.; Flexas, A.; Gálvez, A.; Cela-Conde, C.J. (2012) Neuroaesthetics: Themes from the past, current issues, and challenges for the future.Rendiconti Lincei-Scienze Fisiche e Naturali 23(3).
Christensen, J.F.; Flexas, A.; de Miguel, P.; Cela-Conde, C.; Munar, E. (2012) Roman Catholic beliefs produce characteristic neural responses to moral dilemmas. Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience.
Munar, E.; Nadal, M.; Rosselló, J.; Flexas, A.; Moratti, S.; Maestu, F.; Marty, G.; Cela-Conde, C (2012) Lateral Orbitofrontal Cortex Involvement in Initial Negative Aesthetic Impression Formation. PLoS ONE 7(6).
Munar, E.; Nadal, M.; Castellanos, N.P.; Flexas, A.; Maestú, F.; Mirasso, C.; Cela-Conde, C.J. (2012) Aesthetic appreciation: from time-frequency analysis to synchronization. Frontiers In Human Neuroscience 5(185)
Congress contributions
Christensen, J.F.; Flexas, A.; de Miguel, P.; del Prado, M.; Cela-Conde, C.J. (2011) A fMRI study on the Influence of Religious Beliefs on the Neural Underpinnings of Moral Judgment. XIth International Conference on Cognitive Neuroscience (ICON XI) Palma (Spain). (Poster)
Flexas, A.; Castellanos, N.P.; Christensen, J.F.; Munar, E. & Mirasso, C. (2011) What can differences in neuroimaging techniques and analysis methods tell us about aesthetic preference? XIth International Conference on Cognitive Neuroscience (ICON XI) Palma (Spain). (Poster)
Flexas, A.; Castellanos, N.P.; Christensen, J.F.; Munar, E. & Mirasso, C. (2011) What can differences in neuroimaging techniques and analysis methods tell us about aesthetic preference? IVth Iberian Conference on Perception (CIP2011) Palma (Spain). (Poster)
Munar, E.; Nadal, M.; Rosselló, J. & Flexas, A. (2010) Negative aesthetic impression formation in the lateral orbitofrontal cortex: a neuroimaging study.16th Annual Meeting of the Organization for Human Brain Mapping. Barcelona (Spain) (Poster)
Munar, E.; Nadal, M.; Rosselló, J. & Flexas, A. (2010) Negative aesthetic impression formation in the lateral orbitofrontal cortex: a neuroimaging study.21st Biennial Congress of the International Association of Empirical Aesthetics. Dresden (Germany). (Poster)
Munar, E.; Nadal, M.; Rosselló, J. & Flexas, A. (2010) Negative visual aesthetic impression formation in the lateral orbitofrontal cortex: a neuroimaging study. 33rd European Conference on Visual Perception. Lausanne (Switzerland). (Poster)
Munar, E., Rosselló, J., Flexas, A., Cela, C.J. (2010) Differential brain activity during the negative initial aesthetic impression formation. 1st Joint Conference of the Experimental Psychology Society (EPS) and the Spanish Experimental Psychology Society (SEPEX). Granada (Spain). (Poster)
Christensen, J.F., Munar, E., Rosselló, J., Flexas, A., Marty, G. (2009) Aesthetic preference of dance movements and positions in different cultures and different levels of proficiency. A review of dance styles and perspectives for future paradigms in intercultural experimental dance aesthetics. Copenhagen Neuroasthetics Conference. Copenhagen (Denmark). (Talk)
Flexas, A., Christensen, J.F., Gut, N., Nadal, M., Bustos, P., de Miguel, P., & Munar, E. (2009) The neural bases of the appreciation of beauty. Differences and similarities between men and women. Copenhagen Neuroasthetics Conference. Copenhagen (Denmark). (Poster)
Rosselló, J.; Nadal, M.; Flexas, A.; Vilanova, J. & Barceló, S. (2009) Effects of affective priming by facial expressions on aesthetic preference. Copenhagen Neuroasthetics Conference. Copenhagen (Denmark). (Poster)
Bustos, P.M., Christensen, J.F., Gut, N.K., Flexas, A., Nadal, M. & Munar, E. (2009) Response scale choice in neuroimaging and cognitive studies of beauty appreciation. Copenhagen Neuroasthetics Conference. Copenhagen (Denmark). (Poster)
Nadal, M., Flexas, A., Bustos, P., Munar, M., & Marty, G. (2009) Neural Correlates of Aesthetic Preference: Beginning to Understand Gender Differences.American Psychological Association 117th Convention. Toronto (USA). (Talk)
Flexas, A., Christensen, J.F., Gut, N., Nadal, M., Bustos, P. & Munar, E. (2009) The neural bases of the perception of beauty. Differences and similarities between men and women. 3rd Iberian Conference on Perception. Guimarães (Portugal). (Poster)
Bustos, P.M., Nadal, M., Christensen, J.F., Gut, N.K., Flexas A. & Munar, E. (2009) An exploratory study of diverse methodological factors related with the perception of beauty. 3rd Iberian Conference on Perception. Guimarães (Portugal). (Poster)
Other publications
Cela-Conde, C. J., Flexas, A.; Christensen, J.F. (2010) Los valores humanos y el cerebro. Taula. Quaderns de Pensament 42, p. 149-154.
Nadal, M., Flexas, A., Christensen, J.F., Barceló-Coblijn, L. Olivera, A., Bustos, P., Rosselló, J. (2009). L’evolució de l’ésser humà. Pissarra. núm 133, p 16-20.
(Chapter) Nadal, M.; Flexas, A. (2012) Bases biológicas de la creatividad. El enfoque desde la neuroestética. En Perote Alejandre (Coord.):Creatividad y neurociencia cognitiva. Instituto Tomás Pascual Sanz (Spain).
(Chapter) Nadal, M., Flexas, A., Cela-Conde, C.J. (2010) La capacidad para la apreciación estética: una evolución en mosaico. En Martín Araguz, A. (Ed.) Neuroestética. Saned SA Ediciones (Madrid – ESP).
(Poster in an event) Christensen, J.F., Nadal, M., Flexas, A., Barceló-Coblijn, L., (2009) L’Evolució de l’ésser humà. Any Darwin a les Illes Balears. Balearic Islands (Spain).
(Poster in an event) Barceló-Coblijn, L., Nadal, M., Olivera, A., Christensen, J.F., Flexas, A., Bustos, P., Munar, E. (2009) Els origens de la Cognició humana: les singularitats d’una ment extra-ordinària. Any Darwin a les Illes Balears. Balearic Islands (Spain).