I am a PhD candidate in Social Psychology at the University of Amsterdam, supervised by Eftychia Stamkou and Suzanne Oosterwijk. My research explores the social impact of engaging with art, from micro-level effects on social-cognitive abilities and interpersonal attitudes to macro-level implications for sociocultural systems.
Specifically, I investigate whether, and how, engaging with art (e.g., reading narrative fiction, watching films, viewing paintings) shapes how people understand, empathize with, and relate to others. I also examine how art encourages engagement with difficult social issues, helping us stay attuned to the world around us.
 Ozbay, Y., Stamkou, E., & Oosterwijk, S. (2025). Art promotes exploration of negative content. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 122(5), Article e2412406122. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2412406122 [details]
Ozbay, Y., Stamkou, E., & Oosterwijk, S. (2025). Art promotes exploration of negative content. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 122(5), Article e2412406122. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2412406122 [details] Ozbay, Y., Oosterwijk, S., & Stamkou, E. (2024). Beyond beauty: Does visual art facilitate social cognitive skills? PLoS ONE, 19(10), Article e0308392. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0308392 [details]
Ozbay, Y., Oosterwijk, S., & Stamkou, E. (2024). Beyond beauty: Does visual art facilitate social cognitive skills? PLoS ONE, 19(10), Article e0308392. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0308392 [details]