Issue 13- Psychology in the Arts

From the Editor's FDesk rom the Editor's Desk

Dear Readers, henever you're watching a movie, admiring a a piece of art, or maybe even starring in a play play or making your own artwork, I bet the last last thing you think of is "hmm I wonder how this is influenced by psychology." While associating psychology with the arts is uncommon, its influence can be seen in a variety of ways from our art and aesthetic preferences to it being a breakthrough for curing illnesses. Something simpler such as rewatching comfort movies offers a calming effect as it gives our brain a rest, reducing its cognitive/mental load since we know what comes next. Reading this makes one realize how a small habit can actually hold deeper meaning behind it. Thus, in this issue, we examine how the fine arts interweave with psychology and can provide insight into how it affects our perceptions and understandings. I hope you enjoy the read as much as we loved putting it together!

Art Therapy in Cancer Patients

Art therapy has known to be a source of healing for many people who suffer from high levels of trauma and stress. It builds a psychotherapeutic relationship with the individual, which aids in improving their mental health and state. I use this form of therapy at times when my anxiety and depression levels are grievous, and the experience of art therapy has made me feel heard and honestly has been my way of expressing emotions for the past 6 years. I feel like the best way to describe art therapy is this quote by Nikki Rowe, “Art is my cure to all this madness, sadness and loss of belonging in the world & through it I’ll walk home.”

The moment people are hit with the news that they have cancer, it feels as though the old has crashed on them. They start to experience a mix of feelings including anger, depression, anxiety, and mostly fear. These emotions don’t only occur during the diagnosis, they continue to feel these emotions throughout their treatment and in some cases even after the treatment is over understandably so. Over time, these feelings worsen the mental health and state of these cancer patients. It is estimated that about 33.33% of cancer patients in hospitals have a common mental illness. Additionally, it is said that people diagnosed with cancer are more likely to develop a depressive disorder than the general public having major mental health conditions can harm the result as they are unlikely to consider any treatment or prevention screens.

These statistics prompted psychologists to find ways to aid and improve the mental wellbeing of cancer patients. Art psychotherapists have begun to conduct experiments to study the effectiveness of art therapy with cancer patients.

A study was conducted to halt the patient's perception of art therapy during chemo sessions (Forzoni, Perez, Martigretti, and Crispino, 2010). Using a semi-structured questionnaire, a psychologist interviewed a group of 54 randomly selected cancer patients. The results state that out of the 54 patients, 3 found art therapy to be unhelpful and boring. However, the other 51 patients found the art therapy to be helpful and even stated that art therapy allowed them to feel heard and that it allowed express difficult emotions into meaningful art pieces as well as discover the bigger picture behind their emotions.

As mentioned previously, post-treatment cancer patients also can have mental issues that originated during their diagnosis or treatment time. Psychologists and Art psychotherapists started hypothesizing whether art therapy will have any effect on their mental well-being. A study consisting of 70 post-treatment cancer patients was conducted in a 10-week time frame which included a 10-week long program specializing in art therapy. The results of this study were immensely positive as all 70 participants found the art therapy helpful and effective in improving their mental well-being.

To sum it all up, cancer patients and post-treatment cancer patients have found art therapy is a way they can feel like they are being heard and this form of therapy also allows these patients to express difficult feelings that they have been struggling with or are uncomfortable to share with words through the beauty of art. To end this, I want to include a quote that still resonates with me today, “Art can permeate the very deepest part of us, where no words exist.”(Miller, 2008)

The relationship between Art and Psychological Well-Being

“I found I could say things with colour and shapes that I couldn’t say any other way things I had no words for” Georgia O’Keeffe.

The word ‘Art’ encompasses every form of creativity constructed by humans. Music, artwork and simply creating can have highly positive effects on well-being. The above quote by Georgia O’Keeffe, an artist, perfectly describes the way many creators feel when they are painting, drawing, dancing, or singing. Additionally, looking at art and listening to music can give people a serotonin boosts too! There is a plethora of studies (and movies) that explore how art truly affects well-being.

“I Remember Better When I Paint” is a 2009 documentary on the benefits of creative therapies for people with Alzheimer’s. The film visits numerous care homes and museums in America and Europe. The aim of this was to present how drawing, painting, and visiting the museum can create a sense of identity and increase self-respect. Personal stories are examined to highlight the transformation that art can bring when introduced to an Alzheimer's patient. Aside from improving patients’ moods and resilience, painting and drawing improved and stimulated memory. Those who could barely remember their life began remembering moments from major events e.g., their wedding, the birth of their first child, etc. Alzheimer’s and Dementia affect around 1 in 9 people aged 65 and older (ADP, 2022). Perhaps individuals with early onset Alzheimer’s can reduce or delay symptoms if they begin painting or drawing when they are in the early stages of the disease.

Creative therapies can also aid individuals with depression and anxiety in expressing themselves and brings them a sense of peace (Harvard, 2017). Anxiety, depression, and stress can have negative effects on psychological and physical well-being. Through art, dopamine levels (or the happy chemical) increase dramatically. Imagine your head full of a thousand voices, each one saying something different in a different tone. Many people struggling with anxiety and depression feels like picking up a paintbrush or a pencil softens the voices in their heads (SNC, 2021). Art can help anyone dealing with stress too. Have you seen all those adult colouring books? They are getting sold pretty fast since simply colouring can help people relax and focus their minds on other things.

Can observing art forms also improve psychological well-being? The short answer to this is yes. Since art refers to many types such as paintings/drawings, songs, music, and dance, every individual can reap the benefits through viewing art or listening to music. A study done by Semir Zeki (2017) scanned the brains of volunteers as they looked at art pieces. He observed that looking at art triggers the release of dopamine (the happy chemical again!). For many, attending galleries, going to the museum, and watching a movie can stir up powerful emotions and decrease stress and anxiety levels. Those who do partake in creating art or viewing art have reported a high level of satisfaction in their lives (Cuypers, 2012) thus suggesting that art has an extremely positive effect on an individual’s outlook on life and psychological well-being.

Personalities and Their Relation to Art Preferences

—Zaina Nayeem

The Big Five personality model (Goldberg,1993) is widely recognized as a paradigm, which is comprised of five basic elements that make up every personality: openness, conscientiousness, extroversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism. The Big Five Model contends that each trait is a continuum and that everyone stands somewhere between the two extremes – an introvert or an extrovert rather than purely being one thing over another. Art is one of many activities that numerous people turn to escape the mundanity of life. The Big Five Model is used to assess various human behaviours, such as health awareness, marital contentment, and job success, in addition to one’s taste in art.

Personality traits not only indicate whether you could enjoy art in general, but they can also indicate the type of art you could be drawn to. In a study conducted by Premuzic et al., (2008), participants completed questionnaires about their opinions on 24 paintings before being asked questions about their personalities according to the Big Five model. People who valued representational art, such as impressionism, tended to be more amicable, responsible, and closed off to novel experiences. Open-minded people rated abstract works higher than others. According to another research (James, 2018), anxious, introverted, and melancholic people were found to be likely to find abstract and “pop art” appealing. It is crucial to determine if a person's preferences toward works that are distinct from one another in terms of style, purpose, and aesthetic value are related to their personality. In a study by Enright et al. (2018), the participant's eye movements were monitored as they looked at abstract art. The upper-right quadrant attracted the attention of most participants as the right hemisphere of the brain is used for visuospatial processing and is crucial in handling the emotions that the art arouses. Participants who tended toward neuroticism, however, paid more attention to the bottom of a picture, while those who had schizophrenia concentrated more on the left side.

Oz et al. (2015) found that, despite its modest connection, there is a relationship between a person's personality and their preferences for art. Despite the literature's claim that there is little correlation between a person's personality and their taste in art, people consistently choose works of art that reflect their personality traits which have been proven by many studies. Regardless of this, there are many holes in their theories; For example, some experts contend that the Big Five model is mostly tailored for people living in developed countries and cannot be applied to other cultures. Additionally, while most research has concentrated on two-dimensional art forms like paintings, they have not yet adequately accounted for variations in tastes of media that are available globally. Moreover, it is also said that our taste in art evolves and is influenced by our relationships, experiences, and demographics. Further research in this area will help us to better understand whether or not personality does play a role in our art preference

Cognition and Perception

-Zaida Jafar

Until now, researchers primarily focused on pictorial art However, art and cognition can only be fully comprehended by considering various other disciplines as well Some of which include neurology, biology, neuroscience, and so on Many different art forms practiced widely in human societies have a communicative value with profound biological roots Art is considered to be a symbolic expression of cognition It has been found that the communicative nature of art is neuronally damage resistant (Zaidel, 2013).

An individual must be able to separate the symbolic significance of artwork from the substance it is composed of to create and comprehend it. Understanding this separation between an object's meaning and its medium is a prerequisite for symbolic reasoning (DE SMEDT & DE CRUZ, 2011).

Although the creation and appreciation of art need a variety of cognitive abilities (such as visual or auditory perception or semantic memory), researchers concentrate on those cognitive abilities that best describe behaviors associated with art. These abilities include the design mindset (the understanding of intentionality), symbol mindedness (the understanding that something stands in for something else), and aesthetic sensibility (the qualitative appreciation of perceptual stimuli). The cognitive approach focuses on the skills needed to understand and create art. Understanding the concept of art allows an individual to make original meaningful observations and criticisms (DE SMEDT & DE CRUZ, 2011).

Artworks are those entities that have been successfully made with the intent that they are regarded in a certain manner, which is a way in which preceding artworks have been rightly regarded, following Levinson's intentional historical theory of art. Bloom expanded on this idea to include all artifacts. He believed that humans are guided by the implied intentions of the designer when they identify and categorize artifacts and that this intuitive design stance governs the interpretation of artifacts. Gelman and bloom experimented with two different groups. Each group consisted of adults and children and was shown an irregular looking stone object. The first group referred to it as a broken stone. The second group heard the artist chip the stone and were then shown the object. The participants referred to it as a sculpture. This shows that our art appreciation is influenced by its genesis not just our perception (DE SMEDT & DE CRUZ, 2011).

Learning about art affects how one assesses a work of art's aesthetic value This intuitive reality can be profoundly explained by the fact that perceptual experiences change with creative skills high level aesthetic traits can be expressed perceptually or because they causally depend on low level perceptible properties, differences in aesthetic judgment may result (Stokes, 2014)

The subject of how visual cognition varies between artists and non artists was the focus of a study conducted by Kozbelt (2001) Twelve drawing tasks and four perceptual tasks were conducted On both tasks, artists outperformed non artists The two types of activities shared similar visual processes, according to regression analysis, while the drawing tasks had distinctive variances It seems that artists have an advantage over non artists in both their perceptual analysis and their drawing skills Concerning artists' significant expertise in visual engagement with objects and images during drawing, the perceptual advantage is examined and appears to be intimately related to the activity of drawing Contrary to professionals in many other fields, artists appear to be more skilled at employing visual analytic techniques that are qualitatively similar to those of novices

For centuries, acting has been a popular means of entertainment for the masses,

The current generation revolves around two words, Netflix, and chill. The entertainment industry has taken over everyone's lives to the extent that many actors adopted methods of acting to portray a character, which for some actors was detrimental to their mental health while it helped others. Many performers use the technique of method acting to recreate believable, authentic, and true behaviour for the sake of the character's portrayal in the movie.

In contrast to psychotherapy, which includes relieving symptoms in a private setting, acting entails constructing a persona for an audience (McFarren, 2003). Panero (2019) reported that directors frequently overlook the potential psychological effects of performing on performers because they are unprepared to notice changes in their mental health. Actors experience dissociation while performing, even though it may not always be for the better. This was revealed through research done on actors by Panero (2018). further, the detrimental effects of unresolved trauma and psychopathology were linked to the dissociation experienced by performers (Thomson & Jaque, 2012)

Taking on several personas could conceivably cause conflict between the actor's personality and that of the role and blur the line between actor and character. This, as noticed by Nemiro (1997) was known to be boundary blurring and was often noticed in method actors. Actor Christian Bale was famously known for shedding 25kgs and going into malnourishment to portray a character as an insomniac industrial worker in the movie ‘The Machinist’. His co-star Michael Ironside reportedly suggested that he consumed only black coffee, an apple, and canned tuna every day until the start of production. Nash (2020) reports that during an interview with Bale he quotes, ‘If I keep doing what I have done in the past I am going to die. So, I would prefer not to die” and further goes on to say, “I can’t keep doing it. I really can’t.” From this, it can be seen how the extremity of his method of acting tampered with his mental health. s y c o i c a l E f f e c t s o

M e t h o d A c t i n g

Again, method acting does sound like Kim Kardashian trying to fit into Marilyn Monroe’s dress, but it is not! Since his interview on the Graham Norton show, Tom Holland, the well-known friendly neighbourhood spiderman, has been noted for his method of acting. During the interview, he conversed that he enrolled at the Bronx High School under a different name and accent. To depict his character in the film "Spider-man: Homecoming" more authentically, he did this to gain a better understanding of what it was like to be an American high school student.

During his time as a high school student, he became a student overnight to gain first-hand experience for the betterment of his character’s portrayal, which helped him understand and highlight his character, 'Peter parker' more accurately in the film.

Although method acting might bring a written character to life by an actor, it can have adverse effects on the mental health of the actor which is not helpful eventually. Thus, mental health needs to be the top priority of an actor before anything else.

Nature Is Free Therapy

-Naila Khamis

The natural environment is thought to have a substantial effect on psychological wellbeing; in some ways, nature can operate as a form of free therapy.

Long walks, sunbathing, enjoying the dawn and sunset, relaxing on the beach—basically engaging in any activity that entails being surrounded by an attractive and peaceful natural aesthetic—all help to elevate mood and promote mental health. Nature therapy uses the concept of nature to help with healing. With the advancement of technology, and almost everything is online it feels impossible to break away from the screens. The majority of people prefer to spend time indoors than outside. Leisure activities were considered a norm, but now have become increasingly rare for people to perform, as people do no prefer online activities such as gaming, and social media along with others.

Numerous studies have shown how the environment may influence a person's actions and mood, and how occasionally a natural environment can have a favourable effect on a person's mental health. For instance, cross-sectional and longitudinal studies have found a relationship between a population's psychological well-being and its closeness to open space, the ocean, or private gardens in both urban and rural settings. Another study found that being in nature can make it easier to deal with discomfort. According to the study, half of a group of patients who had gallbladder surgery had a view of a tree while the other half had a view of a wall during their recovery periods. In comparison to patients who did not, those who could see the image of the tree were better able to handle pain.

There are many ways to bring nature indoors, for those who do not have access to green space due to cold seasons or for people who do not enjoy being outside. Adding plants indoors, having photographs of nature, or even listing to soothing sounds of nature can help in improving mood. Having just a small plant in a room can significantly reduce stress and anxiety, according to studies conducted in hospitals, schools, and companies.

Being in nature or even just looking at pictures of it might make you feel happier and less stressed. Being in nature not only improves your mood, but also benefits your physical health by lowering blood pressure, muscle tension, and the release of stress chemicals. The pleasing aesthetics of nature offer many advantages for psychological health.

An actor is a person who portrays a character in a performance. Acting has been around since the 18th century, with several influences from the Greek, Roman, European, and Elizabethan cultures. So, how does this relate to psychology? By profession, acting requires a person to be able to think on the spot, improvise and memorize lines, all while embodying the character they are to portray. It also involves cooperating with fellow actors and team members, listening carefully to instructions, and delivering lines confidently. Acting involves the psychological concept of ‘theory of mind’, or the ability to understand and interpret other individuals’ mental and emotional states. Theory of mind allows one to attribute thoughts, desires, and intentions to others and is often related to empathy Actors consciously employ this concept to enable them to embrace their roles and efficiently deliver them. Several acting techniques also involve a cognitive understanding of one’s roles. ‘Method Acting’ is an acting technique that uses the actor’s personal experiences to help them identify with their character. Similarly, the ‘Meisner technique’ requires the actor to focus their attention on believing that the other actor’s role is real, which helps deliver a more authentic expression of their role. Actors as individuals tend to be more aware of other people’s emotional states and are attracted to fiction. They also employ the cognitive skills of mood congruency and perspective taking, both of which relate to having a higher sense of the theory of mind. Psychology of

According to Nemiro (1997), ‘acting training’ involves teaching the actors how to discover the objectives of their character, as well as their character’s needs and wants motivations, thoughts, desires, and emotions. The actor, equipped with the knowledge of the character’s mentality, applies their own, personal experiences and imagination to bring the character to life. Focusing on the character’s mental state and tendencies is also well associated with the concept of the theory of mind. Relating to this, Goldstein et al (2009-2010) emphasized that actors tend to be more skilled in decoding the mental states of other individuals merely from their facial expressions, gestures, body language, and words. An actor must also exercise self regulation, a psychological concept that entails understanding and managing one’s behaviour and reactions. An actor uses their whole body to deliver a role and needs to be able to portray emotions one would not normally experience in their day to day life. Actors must also emotionally regulate themselves, and these metacognitive skills enable them to truly embody their characters and bring them to life.

Psychology and Theatre

-Safa Mohammed

When talking about theatre, a lot of various aspects come into “play.” From the perceptions of the audience to the benefits of theatre on different individuals to studying the art of acting and how psychology plays a role, a few of these that we will look deeper into in this article.

We will first look at the psychology of actors while they are students and after they achieve success and become professional actors. So, what of these magnificent actors and actresses? What effect does theatre have on these talented individuals? Is it always positive or is there a dark side to it? And if so, what is it? A study by (Dumas et al., 2020) excellently covers all the negative effects that acting imposes on these celebrities. An experiment by Davison and Furnham included self-reported questionnaires answered by professional actors, which indicated that actors often suffer from personality disorders and scored significantly high on the “Antisocial,” “Histrionic,” “Borderline” and “OCD” personality disorders scale. Additionally, personality disorders such as Schizoid, Avoidant, and Dependent are often found in male actors.

Furthermore, another study conducted on student actors showed that they may be implementing their positive and negative psychological attributes. Student actors reported having higher levels of temperamental sadness and fear than non-acting students, however, it is observed that the student actors have a notably better ability to overcome and view these emotions positively than non-acting students. It was also recorded that student actors recognize “pride” being expressed by a person, better than recognizing “anger” which nonacting students are abler at recognizing. Of course, on the side, comes along the abilities that student actors and professional actors eventually develop due to the nature of their work. Some of these include an increase in the level of grit, creative activities, and divergent thinking. Professional actors were observed to have more grit as the more successful an actor gets the more competitive it becomes, especially when auditioning and being selected for a good role and performing well enough to keep the audience entertained. When evaluating the levels of creativeness among the 3 groups, student actors reported the highest level, followed by professional actors and finally non-actors. Student actors may display higher levels than professional actors as they still may have more opportunities to allow their creativity to flow during high school and college. And finally, when observing divergent thinking, professional actors and student actors both are required to constantly think out of the box and form original ideas now and then to be successful, therefore professional actors reported displaying the highest level, followed by student actors and lastly by non-actors.

This finally brings us to the psychology of the audience, the people viewing these actors and their art and performances. What does psychology say about these individuals, that is, us?

Studies took a look into what “motivates” audience members to spend their valuable free time attending plays and shows, and four major factors came forward 1) Escapism and Entertainment, 2) Edutainment, 3) Personal Enrichment, and 4) Social Hedonism. The first factor, as the term suggests, viewers go to the theatre to “escape” reality and of course to relax and be entertained. The second factor includes wanting to experience something challenging in several ways such as “artistically,” “emotionally,” “intellectually,” etc. At the end of this study, audience members stated that theatre “teaches you a life lesson,” Walmsley (2011). The third one is the need to experience an emotional impact, which is often satisfied through plays and stories based on feelings such as obsession, infidelity, revenge, and entanglement At the end of this study, audience members stated that theatre “teaches you a life lesson,” Walmsley (2011) And the last one is social hedonism, which means that when a pleasurable or good act, in this case, watching or attending theatre together is conducted, it is perceived to be morally correct, as a large number of people agree with it being a positive act. In addition, several benefits such as having increased levels of empathy in people and even in individuals on the autism spectrum and the elderly are seen, as theatre encourages and exposes us to diverse cultures, issues, and backgrounds, enabling us to become more accepting and aware of the people around us.

To conclude, theatre is remarkably diverse when exploring the perspective and psychology of an actor and the audience, they both have their thoughts and initiations While a majority of it may seem to be negative from an actor's perspective, there are several ways for them to set free and relax, such as being a part of art communities where they get the chance to focus on their personal growth, nonetheless, almost every professional field comes with its ups and downs and psychology helps us delve and comprehend almost all of them and we will certainly be there to bring it all to our dear readers!