Transforming Everyday Objects: How Art Changes Our Physical Sensations

Contemporary art often incorporates everyday objects, like food or furniture, that we encounter in our daily lives. But how do we perceive these objects when they are transformed into art? Do our bodily sensations change depending on whether we see something as art or as a commercial product?

To explore this, we conducted a study where people viewed images of familiar objects. In one condition, we told them that the images were artworks, and in another, we told them they were commercial products for sale.

We then asked people to describe any bodily sensations they felt while looking at these objects. Our findings showed that people’s bodily sensations, particularly in their chest and limbs, were weaker when they believed they were looking at artworks compared to when they saw the images as commercial products.

This suggests that how we categorize an object—whether we see it as art or as a product—can influence how we physically react to it.

The dataset of images used in this study is accessible here: https://art-revelation.wp.st-andrews.ac.uk/news/everyday-objects-database/