The Mind of a Collector

Cognition

Inside Out: The Role of Bodily Awareness in Interpreting Art

Shirley M. Mueller M.D. on April 10, 2024

Interoception mediates our awareness of internal bodily states, significantly influencing our psychological and emotional engagement with art.

Behavioral Economics

Collecting With Purpose: Completing a Set

Shirley M. Mueller M.D. on April 1, 2024

Collecting a set is an easy way for a collector to position and meet goals. It embodies a higher good than any use value or as a collectible alone.

Personality

Collecting Art as an Extension of Ourselves

Shirley M. Mueller M.D. on March 25, 2024

The art and objects people choose to collect reflect their personalities, interests, and how they wish to be perceived by the world.

Identity

Collecting Identity: Tattoos as Art

Shirley M. Mueller M.D. on March 4, 2024

Tattoo collections are beginning to be all the rage for museum exhibitions. What is going on here?

Nostalgia

Timeless Treasures: The Nostalgic Quest of Art Collectors

Shirley M. Mueller M.D. on February 28, 2024

Nostalgia plays a crucial role in the collection of art, affecting collectors on emotional, psychological, and financial levels.

Cognition

Your Brain on Art: Enhancing Neuropsychological Capabilities

Shirley M. Mueller M.D. on February 12, 2024

Art appreciation emerges as a valuable tool for fostering mental well-being and cognitive resilience.

Personality

The Inner World of Art Collectors: A Personality Perspective

Shirley M. Mueller M.D. on January 29, 2024

Art collecting is a multifaceted activity influenced by various personality traits and psychological motivations.

Happiness

From Pleasure Junkies to Cultural Connoisseurs

Shirley M. Mueller M.D. on January 19, 2024

While initially driven by hedonic impulses, art collecting also deeply engages with eudaimonic aspects of happiness.

Hoarding

Human Food Hoarding: Scarcity in Abundance

Shirley M. Mueller M.D. on January 1, 2024

The scarcely researched phenomenon of human food hoarding is explored in this essay. Its parallel to animal food hoarding is addressed as well as differences.

Loneliness

Hidden Burdens: The Intersection of Hoarding and Loneliness

Shirley M. Mueller M.D. on December 26, 2023

Recent studies suggest a strong association between hoarding and loneliness, but the causal relationship between the two is still unclear.

Loneliness

The Healing Power of Collecting in a Lonely World

Shirley M. Mueller M.D. on December 17, 2023

By redirecting attention away from self-focused rumination to engaging in the collection of items, individuals can find a therapeutic outlet that breaks the cycle of loneliness.

Consumer Behavior

Why We Like "Bad Art"

Shirley M. Mueller M.D. on December 11, 2023

There is a complex interplay of psychological and neurological processes in the appreciation of art, good or bad.

Child Development

Children Who Collect Are Not Uncommon

Shirley M. Mueller M.D. on December 1, 2023

Information about child collectors is anything but complete, but research is beginning to provide some insights.

Authenticity

Fake vs. Authentic: Why We Care

Shirley M. Mueller M.D. on November 26, 2023

The stories and beliefs connected with objects shape their value in the eyes of collectors.

Artificial Intelligence

AI and the Aesthetics of Art: A New Era for Collectors

Shirley M. Mueller M.D. on November 13, 2023

AI's impact on the art world remains a fascinating topic.

Anger

The Surprising Upside of Anger for Collectors

Shirley M. Mueller M.D. on November 6, 2023

Anger can act as a catalyst for constructive action in challenging situations.

Empathy

Empathy, Art Appreciation, and Collectors: A Connection?

Shirley M. Mueller M.D. on November 2, 2023

Is our empathetic core truly intertwined with art appreciation, and, therefore, why we are attracted to collecting art?

Beauty

The Allure of "Ugly" Art

Shirley M. Mueller M.D. on October 23, 2023

The increasing allure of "ugly" art among collectors and art aficionados is not a mere trend but rather a reflection of deeper psychological and aesthetic complexities.

Consumer Behavior

Astute Collecting: Ferreting Out the Truly Novel Piece

Shirley M. Mueller M.D. on September 17, 2023

What to consider before buying a novel collectible.

Addiction

Do New Diabetes Drugs Reveal a Way to Treat Compulsive Behavior?

Shirley M. Mueller M.D. on September 3, 2023

New diabetes drugs have the unexpected benefit not only of weight loss but diminished craving for alcohol, drugs, and tobacco. Could they also alter behavioral compulsions?