Regularly visiting museums and having contact with art extends your life: several studies have discovered this
@Una Laurencic/Pexels
What if we told you that visit museums regularly Is this a great decision for your health? This is the hypothesis put forward by the Association des Médecins francophones du Canada when it launched the museum prescription program in 2018 in collaboration with the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts.
The project, now concluded, has allowed thousands of patients to get a doctor’s prescription to visit a museum, alone or accompanied. The goal of the prescription was to promote the recovery and well-being of patients suffering from chronic diseases (hypertension, diabetes), neurological diseases, cognitive disorders or mental health problems.
The decision to write the prescription was left to the doctor’s discretion. After five years, this pioneering initiative has inspired other innovative projects. Today we are seeing a growing number of wellness activities in museums, from museum yoga to guided meditations with works of art, to the practice of slow contemplation or “slow looking”.
These initiatives have recently made national media headlines on both sides of the Atlantic, in France and Canada, and are gaining visibility among the general public. Due to the popularity of these activities, it is increasingly stated that a visit to the museum can have “powerful anti-stress properties”, be a “miracle cure for stress” or have other “incredible benefits”.
The role of art in promoting health and well-being
But is art really good for you? In 2019, the World Health Organization published a comprehensive report compiling evidence on the role of arts and cultural activities in promoting health and well-being.
The authors of this report have attempted to move away from the blanket statement that the benefits of art can constitute a universal solution to health problemsas a sort of home remedy.
On the contrary, they encourage new, more precise and rigorous approaches to addressing the issue, based on observation psychological, physiological and behavioral responses induced by some specific components of artistic activity (aesthetic involvement, sensorial stimulation, physical activity, etc.)
50% reduced risk of dementia and depression and 40% reduced risk of developing geriatric frailty syndrome
The peculiarity of visiting a museum is that it is a so-called artistic activity receptive. In other words, it is not about producing art (painting, drawing, composing). However, it has the advantage of being accessible and already well established in our collective habits, which makes it a good candidate for health prevention.
The question is whether exposure to art alone is enough to reap the benefits. In practice, does the simple fact of being in contact with art have specific effects? In England, research was conducted on samples of several thousand individuals, of which they were monitored long-term health indicators and who were asked for 10 years to report on their habits in terms of cultural and artistic activities.
This research demonstrates that people who regularly attend (every two to three months or more) cultural places (theatres, opera houses, museums, galleries) have a 50% reduced risk of dementia and depression and 40% develop geriatric frailty syndrome (age-related decline in health and loss of functional independence).
What happens to our body when faced with art
But there is another important question: because artand in particular visual art, it should do us good? What happens in my body when I encounter a work of art and how does this contact transform me and help me stay healthier, if so?
This is the question that Mikaela Law, a psychology researcher at the University of Auckland in New Zealand, and her colleagues asked themselves in 2021. They examined the scientific literature for studies on the physiological response to visual arts and their effect on self-reported stress.
Some of the studies listed in his work show that contact with works of art can lower blood pressure, heart rate and cortisol secreted in saliva. These changes reflect a reduction in the body’s guard state, also called stress. This change appears to be perceived by the individual and is reflected in the reduction in stress they experience after exposure.
In short, one thing is certain: going to the museum means significantly increasing your chances of spend a pleasant day. Added to this is the fact that many studies have established how beneficial it is to visit museums, so what are you waiting for?
Don’t want to miss our news?
You might also be interested in:
