Engaging with art helps us think in abstract ways, new study says

Engaging with the beauty of art can help us think in more abstract ways, according to a new University of Cambridge study.

Researchers from the university analysed the responses of 187 visitors to a ceramics exhibition at Kettle’s Yard gallery in Cambridge.

Senior study author Professor Simone Schnall said ceramics were “ideal” for the research because “we needed art that is subtle in form, requiring a focused contemplation of the nature of beauty”.

One group was asked to rate the beauty of each ceramic piece, while the others simply looked at the works.

Actively engaging with artistic beauty helped the first group to escape the “mental trappings of daily life”, researchers concluded.

The group that was asked to judge the works also demonstrated more abstract thinking.

Study author Dr Elzė Sigutė Mikalonytė said abstract cognitive processes are being lost “in a world of screens and smartphones”.

She added: “It’s becoming much rarer to zone out and just let the mind wander, but that’s when we think in ways that broaden our horizons.

“Admiring the beauty of art may be the ideal way to trigger the abstract cognitive processes increasingly lost in a world of screens and smartphones.”