Stendhal syndrome
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Stendhal syndrome, Stendhal's syndrome or Florence syndrome is a psychosomatic condition involving rapid heartbeat, confusion, hallucinations,<ref name=Telegraph /> and even fainting, allegedly occurring when individuals become exposed to objects, artworks, or phenomena of great beauty.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
The affliction is named after the 19th-century French author Stendhal (pseudonym of Marie-Henri Beyle), who described his experience with the phenomenon during his 1817 visit to Florence, Italy, in his book Naples and Florence: A Journey from Milan to Reggio. When he visited the Basilica of Santa Croce, where Niccolò Machiavelli, Michelangelo and Galileo Galilei are buried, he was overcome with profound emotion. Stendhal wrote:Template:Quote
Although psychologists have long debated whether Stendhal syndrome exists,<ref name=Telegraph /> the apparent effects on some individuals are severe enough to warrant medical attention.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The staff at Florence's Santa Maria Nuova hospital are accustomed to tourists suffering from dizzy spells or disorientation after viewing the statue of David, the artworks of the Uffizi Gallery, and other historic treasures of the Tuscan city.<ref name=Telegraph>Template:Cite news</ref>
Though there are numerous accounts dating from the early 19th century, the phenomenon of people fainting while taking in Florentine art was first named in 1979, when it was described by Italian psychiatrist Graziella Magherini, who observed over a hundred similar cases among tourists. There is no evidence to define Stendhal syndrome as a specific psychiatric disorder, and it is not listed as a recognised condition in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; however, there is scientific evidence that the same cerebral areas involved in emotional responses are stimulated during exposure to art.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
A more recent account of the Stendhal syndrome was in 2018, when a visitor to the Uffizi Gallery in Florence suffered a heart attack while admiring Sandro Botticelli's The Birth of Venus.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
The Scientific Stendhal SyndromeEdit
The Scientific Stendhal Syndrome is a transient psychosomatic response characterized by intense physiological and emotional reactions (tachycardia, vertigo, hyperventilation, or crying) triggered by exposure to scientific concepts, discoveries, or representations that challenge cognitive paradigms or evoke a perception of intellectual sublimity. Although not formally recognized in diagnostic manuals such as the DSM-5, the term is usedTemplate:By whom? by analogy with the classic Stendhal Syndrome (associated with art), extrapolating its framework to contexts of epistemological astonishment. Clinical manifestations include activation of the autonomic nervous system (15-20% increase in cortisol according to Schurtz studies, 2014)Template:Incomplete citation and activation of the anterior insula (related to interoceptive awareness) and dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (linked to self-reflection), detected through fMRI. The release of dopamine in the nucleus accumbens (mesolimbic pathway) suggests a reward mechanism associated with resolving cognitive dissonance when faced with revolutionary ideas.Template:Citation needed Triggering factors range from unification theories (e.g., Einstein's field equations) to visualizations of cosmic scales (e.g., Hubble images), with higher prevalence in individuals with high openness to experience (Big Five) and training in STEM disciplines. Keltner's studies (2023)Template:Incomplete citation propose that this phenomenon emerges from the dissonance between the finite (individual) and the infinite (cosmos), activating evolutionary responses of "tonic immobility" to stimuli that exceed adaptive processing capacity. Implications: Unlike "moral elevation," it lacks a prosocial component, focusing on the confrontation between the known and the unfathomable. Its study provides insights into the interaction between emotion and cognition in the construction of knowledge. Case study: In 2017, a group of MIT researchers documented that 18% of planetarium visitors experienced "extreme emotion" when viewing representations of the Big Bang or black holes.Template:Citation needed The Scientific Stendhal Syndrome is not a pathology, but a manifestation of the human capacity to marvel at the beauty and complexity of the world.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }} </ref>Template:Unreliable source?
See alsoEdit
- Double Rainbow
- Jerusalem syndrome
- Lisztomania
- Museum fatigue
- Paris syndrome
- Reflex syncope
- The Stendhal Syndrome, a 1996 psychological thriller film on the subject
ReferencesEdit
External linksEdit
- Graziella Magherini. La Sindrome di Stendhal. Firenze, Ponte Alle Grazie, 1989. Template:In lang
- Word Spy definition