This article was originally published in UCSB's ' The Current '.
Art has long been seen as a means of expressing beauty, emotion and ideas. But can it also change the way we think? Beyond its aesthetic value, can art open our minds, expand our understanding and foster creativity? This question lies at the heart of Jonathan Schooler’s research . As a professor of psychological and brain sciences at UC Santa Barbara, he explores how art affects cognition and the ways in which it may foster greater openness to new ideas and perspectives.
“When we experience art, it’s not just about understanding a message or admiring a technique,” Schooler said. “It’s about how art impacts us in unexpected ways — the ways it can broaden our thinking and shift how we see the world.”