Stendhal syndrome
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Stendhal syndrome, Stendhal's syndrome or Florence syndrome is a psychosomatic condition involving rapid heartbeat, confusion, hallucinations,<ref name=Telegraph /> and even fainting, allegedly occurring when individuals become exposed to objects, artworks, or phenomena of great beauty.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
The affliction is named after the 19th-century French author Stendhal (pseudonym of Marie-Henri Beyle), who described his experience with the phenomenon during his 1817 visit to Florence, Italy, in his book Naples and Florence: A Journey from Milan to Reggio. When he visited the Basilica of Santa Croce, where Niccolò Machiavelli, Michelangelo and Galileo Galilei are buried, he was overcome with profound emotion. Stendhal wrote:Template:Quote
Although psychologists have long debated whether Stendhal syndrome exists,<ref name=Telegraph /> the apparent effects on some individuals are severe enough to warrant medical attention.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The staff at Florence's Santa Maria Nuova hospital are accustomed to tourists suffering from dizzy spells or disorientation after viewing the statue of David, the artworks of the Uffizi Gallery, and other historic treasures of the Tuscan city.<ref name=Telegraph>Template:Cite news</ref>
Though there are numerous accounts dating from the early 19th century, the phenomenon of people fainting while taking in Florentine art was first named in 1979, when it was described by Italian psychiatrist Graziella Magherini, who observed over a hundred similar cases among tourists. There is no evidence to define Stendhal syndrome as a specific psychiatric disorder, and it is not listed as a recognised condition in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; however, there is scientific evidence that the same cerebral areas involved in emotional responses are stimulated during exposure to art.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
A more recent account of the Stendhal syndrome was in 2018, when a visitor to the Uffizi Gallery in Florence suffered a heart attack while admiring Sandro Botticelli's The Birth of Venus.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
See also
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- The Stendhal Syndrome – A 1996 psychological thriller film on the subject
References
External links
- Graziella Magherini. La Sindrome di Stendhal. Firenze, Ponte Alle Grazie, 1989. Template:In lang
- Word Spy definition