Brushstrokes of Bias: Unpacking Recency Bias in Art Appreciation and Implications in Healthcare*

Imagine this: you’ve finally secured tickets to take your parents to the Reina Sofia in Madrid, home to some of the most priceless Picassos. You’re excited to share your knowledge and love for this artist, a passion that ignited during a college art history class.

And then, it’s real — you’re inside the museum, surrounded by throngs of others, all gazing upon these monumental works of art. But suddenly you hear your dad mumble, and you see your mom scowl with a perplexed and confused expression. Then out of nowhere, dad exclaims “This is rubbish, you’re wasting our time, and I can’t believe you paid for these tickets.” As a recent college grad eager to share my newfound knowledge and passion, I began explaining cubism and why I believed these paintings were masterpieces. But dad’s disparaging comments continued, followed by peals of laughter.

In an instant, I remembered how I had once thought Picasso was rubbish too. My art history professor had advised me to keep looking at the paintings, and eventually my perspective changed. Right now, I found myself laughing loudly on a museum bench facing the works of one of the world’s most revered artists. This shared experience with my parents felt priceless. I announced my decision to leave the museum immediately to make better use of our time.

So, what happened here?

Enter recency bias and the availability heuristic.

My mom, a well-traveled physician who served in the Indian Army, was a fan of Renaissance art but had never been to a modern art museum before. To her, these lines and circles on canvas were perplexing, appearing childlike compared to the Renaissance masterpieces she was familiar with. The same was true for my dad, a brilliant engineer, and a Renaissance art enthusiast. I couldn’t fault them; their assessments were based on their mental recollections of the art they had been exposed to.

This experience led me to ponder what truly is good art versus not-so-great art. Did I too fall victim to recency bias? Was I merely pretending to be an art savant, frequenting New York City’s esteemed museum openings?

It turns out that recency bias — giving greater importance to recent events or information when making judgments — indeed affects our assessment of art. This bias is also evident when groups evaluate creative works like ad campaigns. Their feedback can be clouded, for instance, by an ad they saw at their gym the day before, even if it’s unrelated to the work they’re assessing. But let’s not be too quick to fault them for this.

This, among other things, underscores the importance of diversity and inclusion in advertising. It normalizes what people see in the real world. This is especially true for healthcare and pharmaceutical advertising. It might astonish you that just four years ago during market research in some European markets I encountered physicians who resisted featuring people of color in ads for biologic drugs simply because those medications weren’t typically prescribed to them. There’s still much progress to be made, but it starts with small steps and recognizing that our perceptions are shaped by exposure and the availability of examples we can subconsciously recall.

So, go to more museums, peruse design books, and embrace diverse perspectives to become a positive force in the world and absorb positivity from ALL those around you. This is especially crucial for those dedicated to the health and well-being of others.

*The examples and conclusions in this article are for readers to simply understand how heuristics and biases play a role in our daily lives. They are based on assessments of multiple behavioral science publications and personal examples. They are not proven conclusions based on any validated empirical testing.