Viewing artistic films can increase creative thinking, according to a study released by researchers at the University of California, Santa Barbara on Apr. 9. The study found that people who watched short experimental films showed measurable gains in creativity compared to those who viewed entertaining but non-artistic videos.
The findings suggest that engaging with art may do more than provide emotional stimulation; it can also change cognitive processes. This could have implications for educational and public funding debates about the value of arts programs.
“Art confronts us with the unexpected,” said Madeleine Gross, psychological researcher and lead author of the study, along with co-author Jonathan Schooler from the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences. “It pushes us beyond surface-level perception, into broader, and more abstract ways of thinking and perceiving. Those same processes appear to support creative thinking.”
Nearly 500 participants were randomly assigned either a critically acclaimed animated short film or a humorous home-video compilation similar to content found on social media platforms. After watching their assigned video, participants completed two tasks: one measuring conceptual expansion through categorization challenges, and another assessing originality in story creation using three specific words.
The group exposed to artistic shorts demonstrated greater willingness to accept unconventional category examples—a sign of conceptual expansion—and produced more original stories as rated by independent judges. Interestingly, those who watched experimental films reported feeling worse emotionally after viewing them than those in the control group but still performed better on creativity measures.
Researchers identified “state openness”—a temporary shift toward receptivity—as a key mechanism explaining how art exposure broadened conceptual thought patterns. The study’s design included strong experimental controls not always present in prior research: participants were randomly assigned conditions with equally engaging content for comparison.
Gross said these results matter especially as access to museums remains limited for many people due to socioeconomic barriers while film is widely accessible. She added that such findings are timely given ongoing debates about arts funding: “When there are debates about whether arts programs deserve more funding, studies like this offer something concrete to point to…the idea that art expands the mind is starting to look less like a metaphor, and more like a measurable psychological effect.”
