A new study from the University of California, Santa Barbara reports on Apr. 9 that viewing artistic short films can increase creative thinking in viewers compared to those who watch entertaining but non-artistic videos.
The findings are significant because they suggest that exposure to art can change how people think, not just how they feel. This research provides experimental evidence supporting the idea that engaging with art may help foster creativity.
According to psychological researcher Madeleine Gross, who led the study with co-author Jonathan Schooler, “Art confronts us with the unexpected. 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.” In their experiment involving nearly 500 participants, individuals were randomly assigned to watch either a critically acclaimed animated short film or a humorous home-video compilation similar to content found on social media reels. Participants then completed two tasks designed to measure different aspects of creativity: one assessed their willingness to include unconventional examples within categories (a sign of ‘conceptual expansion’), and another asked them to write short stories using three specific words.
Results showed that those who watched the artistic shorts performed better in both tasks than those in the control group. Interestingly, even though viewers reported feeling worse after watching the experimental films—rating them lower and experiencing more negative emotions—they still demonstrated higher creativity scores than those who watched entertaining videos.
The researchers say this cognitive benefit may be due to what they call “state openness,” a temporary shift toward a more receptive mindset triggered by exposure to challenging art. The study used experimental genre films sourced from Short of the Week for its test group and rapid-fire humorous animal clips for its control group.
Gross said these results have practical implications: “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.” The authors note that film is an accessible form of art for many people and suggest further research could explore whether other forms of everyday art engagement produce similar benefits.
