Sad Art Gives Voice to Our Own Sadness

Datos Bibliográficos

ID7150286
AutoresTara Venkatesan (0000-0002-1129-9277, Department of Experimental Psychology University of Oxford, autor de correspondencia), Mario Attie-Picker (0000-0002-1834-2784), Mario Attie‐Picker (Department of Philosophy Loyola University Chicago), George E Newman (0000-0003-0498-6746, Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto), Joshua Knobe (0000-0003-0733-3775, Program in Cognitive Science and Department of Philosophy Yale University)
Año2025
Volumen49
Número1
Páginase70034-e70034
Fecha de publicación2025-01-01
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaCognitive Science (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 0364-0213 • E-ISSN: 1551-6709
EditorialWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/cogs.70034
PMID39836060
OpenAlexW4406635079
IdiomaEN
Referencias citadas80

People tend to show greater liking for expressions of sadness when these expressions are described as art. Why does this effect arise? One obvious hypothesis would be that describing something as art makes people more likely to regard it as fictional , and people prefer expressions of sadness that are not real. We contrast this obvious hypothesis with a hypothesis derived from the philosophical literature. In this alternative hypothesis, describing something as art makes people more inclined to appropriate it, that is, to see it as an expression of their own sadness. Study 1 found that describing the exact same sad text as art (e.g., a monologue) as opposed to not‐art (e.g., a diary entry) led to increased liking for the work. Study 2 showed that this effect is not mediated by fictionality. Study 3 showed that the effect is mediated by appropriation. Study 4 looked at the impact of a manipulation of fictionality. Describing a work as fictional did lead to increased liking, but this effect was completely mediated by appropriation. These results provide at least some initial support for the appropriation hypothesis

Anger · Appropriation · Cognitive psychology · Linguistics · Sadness · Aesthetic Perception and Analysis · Computer Science · Media Influence and Health · Philosophy · Psychology · Social Psychology · Visual Culture and Art Theory