Does this picture calm you down? Why looking at these types of images can soothe you
An ambitious scientific project is using citizen photography to help people in distress soothe themselves and readers can get involved, too! Project Soothe asks citizen scientists and budding photographers to take pictures of things that soothe them. Whether it’s the family cat, a tranquil lake or mother’s home cooking, the research scientists draw on proves, psychologically, that just looking at calm and peaceful photos by ordinary citizens can help improve the mood of people feeling isolated by Covid-19 as well as helping people feeling stressed-out.
We’ve all heard about the ‘be kind’ movement, but this project has a twist – it’s about being kinder to ourselves, and not just others. The concept behind Project Soothe draws on this and a new type of psychological therapy called Compassion-focused therapy which is inspired in parts by the Dalai Lama and is all about being kinder to ourselves to reduce troublesome thoughts and feelings. The results of the researchers work is promising. One 2020 study in the journal Psychology and Psychotherapy: Theory, Research and Practice, illustrated the importance of affiliations, physical sensations, mindfulness, connection with nature, and solitude on the cultivation of soothe.
Professor Stella Chan initially had the idea of cataloguing soothing images after working with brain injury patients. She tells The Telegraph: “It started in 2015 but I mulled the idea over for five years beforehand, when I was working in neuro rehabilitation services for people with brain injuries. Here, we used a lot of mental imagery, where the therapist will guide a patient to imagine or picture in their minds, a nice image to help them feel good. The observation from this practise was that some people simply can’t imagine or picture images in their minds. Because of this we thought wouldn’t it be a good idea to give people photographs of therapeutic imagery, for those who can’t imagine them. Words are powerful but we now know that images have a very powerful therapeutic impact on people, too. Some years later I discovered citizen scientists, like Galaxy Zoo, where amateur geeks look at the stars toassist in the scientific classification of large numbers of galaxies. Citizen science is about engaging members of the public to conduct the research themselves and to get involved in science. So, I though wouldn’t it be lovely to ask members of the public to submit pictures for researchers and clinicians to use in therapy. Soon after, I launched Project Soothe.”
Research into the soothing aspects of photographs has continued. The team at Project Soothe have since conducted a study which asked participants to pick a photograph in their collection that they found particularly soothing and another one that they found not soothing, and provide a narrative for each of the photographs. Professor Stella Chan says: “We then conducted a thematic analysis – we contrasted the two sets of narratives to identify themes that determine a photograph to be perceived as soothing vs. not soothing.” The top themes that emerged include nature Vs artificialness; and solitude and busyness.
“In another study,” adds Professor Stella Chan, “we asked people to tell us what ‘soothe’ means to them, and to tell us their least soothing experiences. Again, we analysed the narratives and discovered that soothe is associated with five themes which were venturing out in nature; being in familiar environment; being affiliated; being in solitude and being physically and mentally relaxed.”
This picture gallery includes images from what have been identified among the top ten of most soothing images, with expert quotes from Professor Stella Chan about what makes them so soothing:
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Photographer, Scotland, says: “These are stormy clouds over a turbulent Brighton beach.” Professor Stella Chan says: “While the stormy scene may signal danger to some, many viewers found it soothing because it depicts a scene of nature and solitude.”
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Photographer, Argentina, says: “It makes me feel soothed because of the stillness it reveals. The soft light of the sunset and also that there is only a lake mountain and sky with no other disturbed elements.” Professor Stella Chan says: “The key quality of this photo that made viewers feel soothed is its ‘stillness’, echoing a sense of solitude, a theme that has emerged from our research as a key element for soothe.”
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Photographer, Pakistan, says: “There are no people in shot. I like being alone. The area looks clean. The flag flying indicates a light breeze.” Professor Stella Chan adds: “Interestingly most of our soothing photos contain no people. The photographer’s narrative here suggests that ‘being alone’ made them feel soothed.”
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Photographer from the UK says: “This is my cat – when I see him fast asleep and safe without a care in the world it makes me feel calmer.” Professor Stella Chan adds: “Our research showed that soothe is related to a sense of safeness and being in a familiar environment. This photograph is a good example of these themes.”
Pic 101:
Photographer from Scotland says: “This is a quiet beach that my partner and I go to walk along. This picture invokes the peace I feel whenever we go there.” Professor Stella Chan says: “How an image is perceived often depends on what memory recall it triggers in our minds. It appears that this photo was soothing to the photographer and viewers because it brings about a positive memory.”
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UK photographer says: “He looks so relaxed.” Professor Stella Chan adds: “Being physically and mentally relaxed has been identified as one of the key themes related to soothe; the narrative around this image is a good illustration of this.”
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Scotland-based photographer says: “I find the sunset and dusk colours relaxing, a sort of nature “time out.”” Professor Stella Chan adds: “From the narrative of the photograph, it is clear that the colours are the key soothing factor here, giving a positive visual experience to reviewers.”
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Photographer from Scotland says: “This is a chilled sunset over Loch Lomond.” Professor Stella Chan adds: “Sunsets and sunrises are often featured in our soothing photos collection, presumably due to their visual appeal, giving viewers a positive sensory experience.”
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Photographer from the UK says: “This is Merry the cat, sleeping on top of my father-in-law’s printer, taken on Christmas, 2014. He’s warm and fluffy and sleeping peacefully, and it’s quite soothing.” Professor Stella Chan adds: “Being in a familiar environment and affiliated with others have been identified as important themes for soothe; this image and its narrative clearly conveys warm memory of a familiar domestic scene.”
Smart phones mean we all have access to a camera so you can take some pictures of flowers or scenes of nature on your next walk, or even look for soothe around your home – whatever you find has a soothing effect on you. Look back on these photos next time you feel isolated or stressed.
If you fancy yourself as a citizen photographer or scientist you can find out more about Project Soothe or get involved by visiting www.projectsoothe.com. The online gallery is open for viewing 24/7 and they still accept submissions.
Erica Crompton
To submit photographs and to find out about all research projects based on Project Soothe, simply click on the ‘Participate’ page www.projectsoothe.com/participate/
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