How your brain can trick you after a beloved artist’s scandal
Can we separate the art from a fallen artist? Only in our memories, according to new research.
A fresh study reveals how the human mind manipulates memories after a beloved artist experiences scandal, according to findings published in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology. This psychological trick involves "differential memory reconstruction," wherein individuals mentally separate the artist from their work when reconstructing memories.
Sally MyungJin Shin, the study's lead author and assistant professor of marketing at the Muma College of Business, explains that people selectively downgrade their past views of the creator while shielding their enjoyment of the creation. This phenomenon extends beyond television actors, affecting individuals' perceptions of musicians and their music, as well as iconic figures such as John Lennon and Ray Charles. Despite learning about the artists' personal scandals, fans still cherished their memories of their music.
Researchers conducted five preregistered experiments to examine participants' evaluations of creators and their work before and after learning about the creators' transgressions. The study concludes that the ability to separate an artist from their work is exclusive to memories of the past, demonstrating how human psychology resolves inner conflict by quietly lowering the artist's opinion to protect cherished memories.
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