When you step into a museum, your eyes are likely drawn to the artworks or cultural artifacts on display. But how much have you considered the function of the small labels beside them? A recent study by researchers Dr. Kalliopi Ioumpa, Dr. John Stins and Prof. Nadia Dominici at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam in collaboration with researchers from the Politecnico di Torino reveals that captions do far more than provide context: they shape how we feel, think, and even how our brains and bodies react to what we see.
Different Ways of Describing the Same Image
Researchers designed an experiment to test how different types of captions influence our engagement with cultural heritage. They showed participants the same images but paired each with one of four caption styles:
- Factual: These resemble the labels most of us see in museums today, offering straightforward information like “Photo of archaeological excavations in Egypt, 1906.”
- Open Keywords: Single words or phrases, such as “Opposition,” “Courage,” or “Silence,” inviting personal interpretation.
- Reflective Questions: Thought-provoking prompts, like “What seems normal today but won’t be in the future?”
- Empowering Phrases: Statements designed to boost confidence, such as “You are doing something meaningful, even if you don’t know it yet.”
By keeping the images identical in each condition, the researchers isolated the impact of the text alone.
Measuring How Captions Change Us
After viewing the images with each type of captions, participants shared about their experience through brief self-report questionnaires. These assessed how pleasant or unpleasant the images felt, how informative the captions were, and whether the experience evoked excitement, calmness, awe, and enhanced confidence.
Yet the study went beyond self-reported measures. Researchers also measured the body’s and brain’s responses in real time. Electroencephalography (EEG) tracked electrical activity in the brain, while a sensitive force plate recorded subtle shifts in the body posture. A wristband monitored skin conductance, a physiological marker of emotional arousal.
By combining subjective feedback with objective data, the study could investigate how captions shape not just what we think, but how we feel and even how our bodies react.
The Multilayered Impact of Words
The results revealed that while participants didn’t show a preference for images accompanied by one caption style over another, other cognitive and bodily responses varied significantly:
- Confidence Boost: Empowering phrases made people feel the most confident compared to factual, keyword, or question-based captions. This style also scored highest for emotional arousal, suggesting it energized participants the most.
- Informativeness: Factual captions were rated as the most informative, while open keywords were the least: if you’re looking for facts, a direct description delivers them best.
- Arousal and Awe: Open keywords sparked the least emotional arousal, while empowering phrases and reflective questions kept participants more excited. Interestingly, awe didn’t differ across caption types.
- Brain and Body Responses: Using EEG measurements, researchers measured brain activity and found that factual captions required more cognitive effort than keywords. Meanwhile, movement data showed that factual captions kept participants more attentive and empowering captions more relaxed. Also, these two caption styles made participants unconsciously lean forward which is considered an implicit measure of likeness and approach.
Why This Matters for Museums and You
This research findings propose that the words museums use is not just informational but can be transformative for the experience in different levels.
For museums, this is a powerful tool to make exhibits more engaging, especially for audiences who might feel disconnected from traditional cultural spaces. And for visitors? It’s a reminder to pause and consider: How do the words around me shape what I see and how I feel?
So next time you’re in a museum, take a moment to read the caption. It might just change how you experience the world around you.