This is Day 4 of my free 75 Days of Media Literacy series.
What do you feel when you see something confusing? We learn how to handle complexity and uncertainty.
Many of us have gone through educational systems that incentivize “right” answers. But life is rarely so cut-and-dried. Even an essay question is often answered more neatly than life's challenges.
If you struggle with life’s uncertainty, abstract art is a great way to retrain your brain to handle those intellectual challenges. Our prehistoric defenses often kick in when we face uncertainty. The human brain naturally dislikes ambiguity. Think about a prehistoric person seeing a shadow in the distance and not knowing whether it’s a tree or a predator. When we can't easily understand what we see, our brains go into threat mode and release stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline. Many people feel this reaction when they are out in the world, uncertain about a sound down the street or trying to make sense of a picture they see in the news. Those real-life challenges are hard to face without coping strategies. Entertainment channels like Fox News manipulate this coping strategy to retain views and make money.
One way to avoid threat-alarm mode is to set up systems that help you avoid getting stressed by visual uncertainty. The stakes of misunderstanding abstract art are incredibly low. Your education system has trained you to believe there is a right answer; truthfully, in art, there isn't. The artist might have an answer. Once a work is in the public realm, our interpretations are also valid. Allowing yourself to feel uncertain about art can create a controllable moment of visual uncertainty.
You can also use this moment with art to create other coping strategies. Ask yourself: Why do I hate this? What does this make me feel? Why do I feel unsettled? Why do I think this is ugly? How does this compare to things I find beautiful? That same system of talking yourself through your uncertainty can help with harder emotional threats.
This type of psychological regulation will also help you avoid the negativity bias. Catastrophic thinking likely helped prehistoric people avoid Disaster by thinking through the worst possible scenario to problem-solve and prevent catastrophe. Today, negativity bias often keeps you from finding enjoyable experiences. Being a hater online very rarely feels satisfying after the initial sarcastic comment. By exposing yourself to art you don’t initially like, you also help yourself handle situations you might not like at first. Tolerance for challenges is often earned through exposure. Given the low stakes of exploring abstract art on your own, this is a great way to help you build your ability to face uncertainty.
