A Study Suggests that Art Museums have the Potential to Alter the Way People Think.

Researchers suggest that visiting an art museum may transform how we view our lives.

A study by the University of Cambridge discovered that appreciating art can enhance one’s ability to think abstractly.

The findings were based on a group of 187 participants who were asked to evaluate the beauty of artworks at a Cambridge gallery.

Dr. Elzė Sigutė Mikalonytė, the study’s author, noted that abstract thinking is being diminished “in a world of screens and smartphones.” Engaging with art allowed participants to break free from the “mental trappings of daily life,” according to the researchers.

The study focused on more subtle artworks to explore the types of thoughts they inspired.

For the study, participants viewed a clay exhibition at the Kettle’s Yard gallery in Cambridge.

One group was asked to evaluate the beauty of each ceramic piece, while the other group simply observed the art.

Senior study author Prof. Simone Schnall explained that ceramics were “ideal” for the research, as “a glorious painting by an old master would be too striking.”

“We needed art that is subtle in form, requiring focused contemplation of beauty,” she added.

The group that rated the artworks’ beauty exhibited more abstract thinking than those who only viewed the pieces.

However, they did not report feeling any happier.

Dr. Mikalonytė noted that the tests aimed to assess how participants were thinking.

“It’s becoming much rarer to zone out and let the mind wander, but that’s when we think in ways that expand our perspective,” she said.

“Appreciating art’s beauty might be the ideal way to trigger the abstract cognitive processes that are increasingly lost in a world filled with screens and smartphones.”