Study: Real Art Stimulates Brain More than Posters
Study: Real Art Stimulates Brain More than Posters
01:41
Oct 15, 2024 5:00 AM
Description
One of Coca-Cola's many taglines was: "You can't beat the real thing." The company was trying to say that even though there were a lot of similar drinks, none of them was as good as the "real" Coke. You might not agree. But when it comes to art, researchers in the Netherlands think it's true — you can't beat the real thing. A small study has found that real artworks stimulate the brain much more than posters or prints of the same work. The Mauritshuis ("MAO-rits-haus") Museum in The Hague commissioned the study. The museum's best-known artwork is Girl with a Pearl Earring by Johannes Vermeer. Researchers showed this artwork and four others to 20 people. While they were looking at the paintings, their brain activity was measured using a brain scanner. The participants were also asked to look at posters of those same five artworks. The researchers compared their brain activity when looking at the real artworks and when looking at the posters. They found that when looking at the real artworks, participants had an emotional response that was 10 times stronger compared to when they were looking at the posters. Martine Gosselink from the museum said this was an "enormous difference." She said they had thought that looking at the real thing might give people a richer experience, but now "we can really say that it is true." The researchers said the real art caused a strong emotional response in a part of the brain called the precuneus. This part of the brain is involved with self-reflection and personal memories. Some have said that this research demonstrates the importance of museums and galleries for people of all ages.
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