"Girl with a Pearl Earring" secret revealed by scientists

Follow-up - INA

Scientists revealed in a specialized study a strange secret behind the attraction of millions around the world to the famous painting "Girl with a Pearl Earring", which was painted more than 300 years ago.

In the study, scientists measured how the brain reacts when looking at Johannes Vermeer's "Girl with a Pearl Earring," which is believed to have been painted in 1665.

The Mauritshuis Museum in The Hague, which houses the 17th-century masterpiece, commissioned neuroscientists to measure brain output when viewing the painting, along with other well-known works.

The surprise was that the viewer becomes captivated by a very special neural phenomenon, which they call the "sustained attention loop," which they believe is unique to the "Girl with a Pearl Earring.".

Martin de Mueneck, from the research firm that conducted the study, pointed out that when looking at the painting, the person is automatically drawn first to the girl's eyes, then to her mouth, then to the pearl earring, then to her eyes again, and then repeats the same stages of viewing the painting, which explains why people look at it for longer than others.