Norberto Grzywacz
Professor, Neuroscience
Recent Media News
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2026 |
PsyPost: “New study suggests the brain applies different standards of beauty to paintings and architecture” Eric Dolan, May 31, 2026; https://www.psypost.org/new-study-suggests-the-brain-applies-different-standards-of-beauty-to-paintings-and-architecture/ |
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2026 |
Sueddeutsche Zeitung (Germany): “Wie find’ ich das?” Sebastian Herrmann, May 8, 2026; https://www.sueddeutsche.de/wissen/kunst-london-lichtinstallation-expertenurteile-eigene-ueberzeugung-aesthetik-li.3475622 |
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2026 |
New York Times: “Professors Are Changing What They Teach, Even Far from Trump’s Gaze” Alan Blinder, March 16, 2026; https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/16/us/professors-change-teaching-trump.html?unlocked_article_code=1.TlA.ic7r.zPTH9-vpVgz0&smid=nytcore-ios-share |
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2023 |
Daily Mail (UK): “Why has Mr Brightside stood the test of time?” Fiona Jackson, April 26, 2023; https://www.dailymail.com/sciencetech/article-12011239/Why-Mr-Brightside-endured-test-time-science-Killers-hit.html |
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2022 |
Daily Mail (UK): “The evolution of the pop hit: Number 1 singles are shorter and slower now than they were 70 years ago - while key changes have almost disappeared, study reveals” Fiona Jackson, November 14, 2022; https://www.dailymail.com/sciencetech/article-11425131/Number-1-singles-shorter-slower-70-years-ago-study-reveals.html |
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2021 |
Chicago Sun-Times: “Loyola to require students to be vaccinated before returning to campus in the fall” Zinya Salfiti, April 23, 2021; https://chicago.suntimes.com/coronavirus/2021/4/23/22399545/loyola-require-students-returning-to-fall-to-be-vaccinated-covid-19 |
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2021 |
Chicago Tribune: “Illinois universities aim to reopen completely this fall. Is that a post-pandemic pipe dream or a realistic goal?” Elyssa Cherney, March 17, 2021; https://www.chicagotribune.com/2021/03/17/illinois-universities-aim-to-reopen-completely-this-fall-is-that-a-post-pandemic-pipe-dream-or-a-realistic-goal/ |
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2020 |
Focus Junior (Italy): “La formula scientifica dei tormentoni musicali” Ilaria Infante, July 15, 2020; https://www.focusjunior.it/news/formula-scientifica-dei-tormentoni/ |
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2020 |
Chicago Sun-Times: “Loyola scales back plans for reopening campus this fall, will move most classes online” Clare Spaulding, July 13, 2020; https://chicago.suntimes.com/education/2020/7/13/21322941/loyola-university-chicago-online-remote-learning-coronavirus-fall-semester |
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2020 |
Chicago Tribune: “草莓社区 announces fall classes will be mostly online as coronavirus cases continue to rise” Kelli Smith, July 13, 2020; https://www.chicagotribune.com/2020/07/13/loyola-university-chicago-announces-fall-classes-will-be-mostly-online-as-coronavirus-cases-continue-to-rise/ |
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2020 |
CBS News: “Loyola University to Shift Most Classes Online for Fall” July 13, 2020; https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/loyola-university-to-shift-most-classes-online-for-fall/ |
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2020 |
Chicago Sun-Times: “Coronavirus live blog, May 15: DePaul, Loyola releases plans for fall semester” May 15, 2020; https://chicago.suntimes.com/essential-coronavirus-news/2020/5/15/21259782/latest-coronavirus-news-live-updates-chicago-illinois-2020 |
Education
BS: Hebrew University of Jerusalem - Physics and Mathematics
PhD: Hebrew University of Jerusalem - Neurobiology and Computational Neuroscience
Post-doc: MIT - Cognitive Neuroscience and Artificial Intelligence
Research Interests
Our current research interests are on both the brain’s Valuation System and aesthetic values. Thus, the inquiries in our lab revolve around how people acquire their personal values and use them in decision-making. Part of these values are aesthetic, which lead to decisions based on whether things give pleasure, for example, by their beauty. These aesthetic-value inquiries have steered us into the realms of perception and art, including neuroscientific-based studies of the great paintings and popular music. In more detail, we have explored the reinforcement learning of values and neuroimaging-anchored computational models of choices. These explorations have led us to explanations of the formation of individuality and culture, the instability of preference, and the social influences on one’s values. Given the breadth of these explorations, our lab must be highly interdisciplinary. It has included faculty, students, and postdocs from Psychology, Neuroscience, Computer Science, Mathematics, Physics, Sociology, Fine Arts, and Music.
Courses Taught
BMSC 414 - Systems Neurobiology
NRSC 410 - Cellular and Molecular Neurobiology
PSYC 386 - Psychology Seminar; “What is Beauty?”
COMP 386 - Computational Neuroscience
COMP 386/PSYC 383 - Methods in Computational Neuroscience
PSYC 387 - Seminar in Behavioral and Cognitive Neuroscience
COMP 389/PSYC 384 - Computational Models of the Brain
HONR 204 - Science and Society: “What Is Beauty?”
Publications/Research Listings
Rhee, Y., H. Aleem, K.B. Mather, and N.M. Grzywacz (2026) Social Conformity of Aesthetic Values. Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts. .
Grzywacz, N.M. (2026) General Bayesian Reinforcement Learning and Associated Differential Approximations. Neurocomputing. 133445. .
Berquet, S. and N.M. Grzywacz (2026) Perceived Complexity as Normalized, Integrated, Localized Shannon Entropy. Entropy. 28, 279. .
Grzywacz, N.M. (2026) Social Polarization Has Cognitive Roots But Is Not a Lost Cause. Science Politics. .
Grzywacz, N.M. (2025) Social-Influence Models for Grouping and Polarization of Aesthetic Values. Neurocomputing. 130870. .
Grzywacz, D.M. and N.M. Grzywacz (2025) Inferring Cinematic Aesthetic Biases from the Statistics of Early Movies. Entropy. 27, 707. .
Grzywacz, N.M. (2025) Balance and Mechanisms of Shared and Individual Aesthetic Values. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance. 51, 424-427. .
Grzywacz, N.M. (2025) Perceptual Complexity as Normalized Shannon Entropy. Entropy. 27, 166. .
Grzywacz, N.M. (2025) A Computational Analysis of the Effect of Hard Choices on the Individuation of Values. Brain Sciences. 15, 131. .
Berquet, S., H. Aleem, and N.M. Grzywacz (2024) A Fisher Information Theory of Aesthetic Preference for Complexity. Entropy. 26, 901. .
Grzywacz, N.M., C.M. Correa, and I. Correa-Herran (2024) Domain-specific Aesthetic Values: A Comparison of Paintings and Architecture. Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts. .