What is Stendhal syndrome?

Dec 30, 2025 6 min

About this episode

What is Stendhal syndrome? Stendhal’s syndrome is a rare and unusual psychological disorder. It’s a psychosomatic condition whereby certain people suffer from a rapid heartbeat, fainting or even hallucinations, when exposed to objects or works of art of great beauty. The condition takes its name from a famous French writer who experienced a similar state of intense emotion upon visiting Rome, Naples and Florence. Stendhal wrote about his visit to Florence’s Santa Croce Basilica in a book entitled Naples and Florence: A journey from Milan to Reggio. If I see something amazingly beautiful, I could just faint at any moment? Does it only happen in Florence? ⁠In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions !⁠ To listen to the last episodes, you can click here : ⁠What is Roe vs Wade, the ruling that guaranteed American women abortion rights?⁠ ⁠Could tourism quotas help preserve endangered local environments?⁠ ⁠Is bikini waxing harmful for your health?⁠ A podcast written and realised by Joseph Chance. First Broadcast: 10/7/2022 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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