This is an essay about the phenomenon of “aesthetic chills”—you know, the moment when, experiencing a work of art, you feel a rush of physical emotion, a shiver that runs down your spine.

Can you think of a work of art that truly thrilled you? Maybe you can—and if you can, maybe it even literally made you shiver, or sent a chill up your spine. This is the phenomena that is called ...

A new exhibit, "Brains and Beauty: At the Intersection of Art and Neuroscience," explores that question by examining how the brain processes aesthetic experiences. Stephanie Sy reports from ...