Though the new world provides a surface of acceptance and progressivity, we cannot escape history so swiftly. Past prejudices still echo and quietly influence our beliefs. Despite significant progress in LGBTQIA+ rights, prejudice against homosexuality still lingers. Thankfully, art, with its unique ability to provoke thought and challenge norms, offers a compelling way to engage with controversial topics. More specifically, prior studies have shown that deviant concepts (i.e., which diverge from accepted standards) are more accepted when introduced through art (Stamkou et al., 2018), and that social contact through media is effective for reducing prejudice (Mazziota, 2011; Brown-Graves, 1999). During my time working with the Amsterdam Arts and Social Sciences Lab, we explored art as a potential tool for challenging biases. In this article, I delve into which theories support the idea of beauty amplifying impact, and explore the importance of conducting psychological and cultural research that compares aesthetic films to non-aesthetic films. 

Even though individual prejudices against gay people has generally decreased, society's underlying heteronormative standards continue to shape attitudes. Heteronormativity is the dominant system that positions heterosexuality as the default, natural, and superior form of sexuality. This norm is a driver in most cultures today, and perpetuates the marginalization of sexual minorities. Even if overt expressions of this bias are becoming socially unacceptable, subtler forms of prejudice persist.

Though harder to catch than overt displays, heteronormative language , discomfort toward LGBTQ+ displays of affection and the under-representation of LGBTQ+ individuals in leadership roles are markers of our society's subtle homophobia. Furthermore, research shows that even when people’s explicit attitudes towards homosexuality are positive, they hold implicit biases (Steffens, 2005). 

These biases are not only harmful at the individual level, but institutionally as well. Globally, LGBTQ+ people face many forms of prejudice on an institutional level. Marriage between LGBTQ+ couples remains illegal in 75 countries, eight of which punish homosexuality by death (Abrahams, 2019). In the United States, gay men cannot donate blood unless they abstain from sexual activity for 90 days (AABB, n.d.). These institutional forms of discrimination, along with exposure to negative attitudes towards homosexuality, negative stereotypes in the media, and exposure to debates regarding their rights are associated with higher prevalence of psychiatric disorders in LGB people. Common symptoms among these groups are hopelessness, chronic worry and hypervigilance, which are characteristic responses to perceived discrimination (Hatzenbuehler et al., 2010). Given these extensive consequences, studies should seek to investigate the role of art in reducing both explicit and implicit prejudice towards homosexuality. 

The far-reaching consequences of prejudice have fuelled psychological research on prejudice reduction, wherein researchers in multiple fields and applied settings have tested interventions (Paluck et al., 2021). One widely accepted theory, which is the basis for many interventions, is contact theory — developed by Allport (1954). Contact theory posits that interpersonal interaction between members of differing social groups allows for learning about the outgroup, reduction of intergroup anxiety and subsequent reappraisal of the outgroup, leading to a reduction in prejudice (Allport, 1954; Pettigrew, 1998). However, face-to-face contact between groups is not always possible in research. But, further investigation has revealed that even indirect contact is effective for prejudice reduction. This knowledge opens up a wide array of options for reducing prejudice through other mediums, as people can learn about outgroups without directly engaging themselves. Vicarious contact, a form of indirect contact, occurs when one observes interactions between groups, and can involve showing participants forms of entertainment, such as videos or stories (White et al., 2020). Essentially, people can learn through watching the experiences of others. This form of contact is among the least tested interventions for prejudice reduction, which is surprising given that it has been found to be the most successful intervention, is highly applicable in real-world settings (Paluck et al., 2021), and even promotes motivation to engage in direct contact with outgroups (Mazziota, 2011).

Several previous studies (Banerjee & Gupta, 2015; Greitemeyer & Schwab, 2014; Vogt, 2016) demonstrated a link between entertainment and prejudice reduction. For example, one study found that exposing participants to a TV show which addressed the caste system in India reduced participants’ prejudice towards the lower caste (Banerjee & Gupta, 2015). But, what hasn’t been explored is the role of art in this effect. If a TV show is artistic or beautifully shot , could it produce a greater effect on prejudice? 

First, with the plethora of entertainment that exists, we must know which entertainment is classified as art. To define art simply, it is “something that is created with imagination and skill and that is beautiful or that expresses important ideas or feelings” (Britannica, 2023). Art has specific intentions - to express the human experience, to be appreciated for beauty, to invite interpretation and connection. It makes sense that art could change our beliefs – we all have felt how art can provoke an emotional response, engage our memory, and inspire awe or critical thinking. However, we do not know whether non-artistic entertainment, such as an interview, would produce the same effects that previous studies found. To address these concerns, we need studies seek to compare entertainment that not only differs in content (by displaying homosexual versus heterosexual relationships) but also in context (artistic versus non-artistic). 

So, why exactly is entertainment a good tool for reducing prejudice? Cultural psychologists have acknowledged that ideas are most likely to spread when they are easily communicable, unexpected, emotional, and useful. Entertainment, such as films, usually contain most or all of these factors, making their content memorable to the viewer. 

Communicable 

Entertainment media serves as a vessel for communicating ideas. The ideas presented in visual media (such as films) are highly curated—with combinations of sound, light, color, and text packaged into stories that the viewer can understand and react to. Entertainment media can be easily reproduced and spread to reach many people, and art has long been used historically to communicate ideas and bring about social change.

Unexpected

Usually, ideas that violate social expectations are met with dismay. However, these ideas are more accepted when introduced through art. Because unexpectedness, or deviance, is often associated with novelty, art allows us an indirect way of facing new ideas with a sense of exploration rather than apprehension (Stamkou, 2020). Furthermore, art that is unexpected is more impactful (Stamkou, 2018), promoting the possibility for those who resist sexual and gender norms to be better understood through artistic mediums. 

Emotional 

Artistic transportation theory proposes that when a person is viewing art, their mental systems become temporarily focused on fictitious worlds. A person who is fully immersed can experience strong emotions and even changes in their real-world beliefs (Green & Brock, 2000; Cupchik, 2002). This occurs through a particular set of emotions– aesthetic emotions. Aesthetic emotions cause viewers to transcend themselves and experience feelings like awe, which allow them to challenge their worldviews and make them less subject to biases. Furthermore, aesthetic emotions weaken the boundaries between the self and other – giving the viewer a unique sense of empathy (Stamkou & Keltner, 2022).

Useful 

Lastly, ideas introduced through entertainment are useful because they introduce novel ways of processing information. When we watch art, there is a psychological distance between our reality and the artwork. Psychological distance experienced during aesthetic experiences enables people to have enough space to embrace negative emotions, making for even more intense emotional experiences (Menninghaus et al., 2017). (Menninghaus et al., 2019). Observers of media and art learn new ways to process information and become familiar with worldviews that they may have never encountered otherwise

These ideas served as a basis for some of the research conducted at the Amsterdam Arts and Social Sciences lab, and led the team to a study which compared artistic film to interviews as tools for reducing both implicit and explicit prejudice towards homosexuality. The initial study we conducted found no effect on the general population, but did provide a basis for conducting future research into aesthetic emotions using video media, especially on more conservative populations. Given the individual and institutional consequences of heteronormativity (Robinson, 2016; Abrahams, 2019), conducting further research, perhaps with longer videos, more conservative groups, and including multiple types of relationships, is essential.