This Autumn, scientists at i2 Media Research at Goldsmiths, University of London fitted visitors at FRAMELESS with heart, skin and eye-tracking sensors as they explored five surrealist masterpieces in our Beyond Reality Gallery.
Edvard Munch’s The Scream came out on top for emotional intensity, rated 3.5 out of 5 on average, significantly higher than the two gentlest works in the gallery. Participants reported suspense, tension and unease more often during The Scream than during any other artwork in the exhibition. Yet when asked to rank all five, they placed it first for enjoyment.
The body sensors told a similar story. The Scream was associated with the greatest average increase in skin conductance (a measure of tiny electrical changes in the skin linked to physiological arousal), at 18% above participants’ own baseline, and the greatest drop in blinking, at 15% below baseline. Previous research has linked reduced blinking with heightened attention and anticipation.
Professor Jonathan Freeman, Managing Director of i2 Media Research and Professor of Psychology at Goldsmiths, University of London, said: “It’s tempting to assume people visit galleries to feel more calm or uplifted, but this study points to something more interesting. The Scream was the artwork participants found most unsettling, and also the one they enjoyed most. It’s a pattern familiar from horror films and rollercoasters that we’ve seen repeatedly through over 25 years of research on audience and visitor experience: a bit of tension, experienced somewhere safe, can be part of the pleasure.”
