Paradox of negative emotions in art: analysis of theoretical and empirical studies

Abstract

In this article, I will first present a number of contemporary philosophical conceptions that offer various solutions to the “paradox of negative emotions” as a general problem of how one can enjoy art that involves painful emotions. Solutions presented include ambivalence and value judgments theories, compensatory theories, and theories of catharsis. Then the article highlights a number of modern empirical studies devoted to this paradox. Despite the fact that they contain methodological and substantive problems, and do not add up to a coherent system, their results are valuable, since they challenge the possibility of a universal solution to the paradox.