Beauty injurious to health? Know about the Stendhal Syndrome and what causes it

 If you like exceptional works of art and phenomena, you might be interested in learning more about Stendhal Syndrome. When someone is so moved by the beauty of art that their physical health is adversely affected, a psychosomatic syndrome known as Stendhal Syndrome develops.

As per reports, a visitor had a heart attack in 2018 while admiring the famous Sandro Botticelli painting "The Birth of Venus" in Italy. Doctors discovered a connection between the patient's heart state and the image's attractiveness, denying the incident as a coincidence.

History of Stendhal Syndrome

According to reports, Dr. Graziella Magherini, a psychologist at Florence's Santa Maria Nuova Hospital, first used the name "Stendhal Syndrome" in 1979. She observed a pattern of psychological issues among the visitors receiving care at the ward. She had seen that travellers who visited historical sites throughout the city shared a common set of symptoms, such as chest pain, anxiety, and heart palpitations.

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She first provided a description of the illness in the 1989 book La sindrome di Stendhal. According to studies, this syndrome only manifests in visitors who are captivated by an artwork's beauty. Although it may sound strange, this ailment does exist.

106 individuals, all of whom were tourists, were seen by Magherini to feel dizziness, palpitations, hallucinations, and dissociation after witnessing works of art including Michelangelo statues and Botticelli paintings, according to the BBC. In 2019, Magherini said that they were experiencing "panic attacks, brought on by the psychological influence of viewing a great work of art and that of travelling."

Stendhal Syndrome signs and symptoms

According to Health Shots, Stendhal syndrome is described by Dr. Sunil Singla as a "physical and mental psychosomatic response of our body, induced by the vision of great art like painting, architecture, statues, etc." Some signs of the disease could be:

Unusual feelings

Higher heart rate

Heart flutters

Breathing difficulty

Consciousness loss

Confusions/ Hallucinations

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(Disclaimer: This story is meant to be informative. Kindly, always consult a doctor.)