Our eyes are not only the windows to the soul, but are the portals to how we as humans get most of our information for learning about the world we live in. Whether we are looking both ways while crossing the street or peering deep into the eyes of a loved one. Our eyes play a critical role in how we calculate, reference and receive information necessary for us to achieve the fullest experiences of life. Information we get from our sight relays data to the most surface areas in our brain at once. We use this information to make assessments, form our decisions and draw our conclusions. It seems for this reason visual stimulation makes the biggest impression in our mind and body.
But can this reality be measured? Can our eyes be the gateway to what and how we feel? If so, can its impact be seen in our physical body? After all, when we see something that makes us sad or disturbing, we cry. And when we see something joyous or funny, we smile or even laugh.
I’ve often wondered if feelings could be measured in the body. How about our other senses, like hearing and touch?
Take for example, two different people viewing the same piece of art in a museum. What are each of them seeing and how are they experiencing it? What do each of them walk away with? Knowing how people respond to what they see and hear may lead to a better understanding of how our bodies work to process it, so we can learn to suppress or recreate these same feelings for therapeutic reasons. Could this be one reason why art can have such a powerful healing effect on people’s bodies and emotions? Could visual art help us to feel deeper to affect our healing?
As creative beings, humans mimic our surroundings as expressed through art primarily through the use of our eyes and ears. People from all over the world are compelled to create and consume art as a primary way to express their emotions. Visual art, music and performance art comes to mind. Art is mostly personally created and yet the shared feeling it can evoke to the broader collective is poorly understood.
How is visual art expressed and imprinted in the body?
In a recent study from the University of Turku and Aalto University in Finland, reveals how visual art can affect our emotional state. The study was looking to find out whether visual art could affect our emotions.
The subjects involved viewed an assortment of artworks and described their feelings as the art stimulated emotions in their bodies. The research team recorded each subjects’ eye movements in real time. The subjects assessed their emotions that were evoked as each selection of artwork was viewed.
In total, there was 1,186 participants from all over the globe that were included in the study. They looked at over 300 pieces of artworks, as the research was conducted through a compilation of laboratory eye movement recordings and online surveys.
Professor Lauri Nummenmaa from the Turku PET Centre at the University of Turku, Finland said, “Viewing the art evoked many different kinds of feelings and emotions in people. Even though many of the pieces handled sad or scary topics, the emotions that the people experienced were mainly positive. The bodily sensations evoked by art also contributed to the emotions: the stronger the body’s reaction was to the artwork, the stronger the emotions experienced by the subject.”
Academician Ritta Hari from Aalto University went on to say, “In the artworks, human figures were the most interesting subject and were looked at the most. People have a tendency to empathize with each other’s emotions and this is probably also the case when we view human figures in art. The human emotions presented in art pieces can be absorbed by the viewer unnoticed, through so-called mirroring.”
“Our results suggest that our bodies have a significant role in the aesthetic experience. Bodily sensations can draw people to art: art evokes feelings in the body, and such stimulation of the body’s pleasure centers feels pleasant to the viewer. This is why the emotions and bodily sensations evoked by art can be used for example, in mental health rehabilitation and care,” said professor Nummenmaa.
The idea of art being used as a healing modality is intimately connected through the use of our senses as the arbiter for our emotions.
Art has served humanity as a cultural expression through an outward display of our shared personal inner reality. Art has that unique ability to give meaning where words fail and to provide healing when medications fall short. Art has been used in every culture throughout history to encapsulate what is important to remember for the future generations, sealed in time through its creation of music and visual artworks.
As long as we live in a suffering world there will remain the need for healing. And I believe art will be forever prized as one of the most important and necessary methods for healing by its ability to connect humanity closer together.
All forms of art allow us to feel deeper, express more and give us meaning to fulfill our need to connect with each other, our world and a higher power. Art heals.
-A Balanced Brain is a Better Brain for a Happier Life-