Sad Art Gives Voice to Our Own Sadness
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 7150286 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Tara Venkatesan (0000-0002-1129-9277, Department of Experimental Psychology University of Oxford, corresponding author), 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) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 49 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | e70034-e70034 |
| Publication date | 2025-01-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Cognitive Science (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0364-0213 • E-ISSN: 1551-6709 |
| Publisher | Wiley (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1111/cogs.70034 |
| PMID | 39836060 |
| OpenAlex | W4406635079 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 80 |
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
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| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |