New Study Proves That Viewing Art is Good For You
- Editor OGN Daily
- 3 hours ago
- 1 min read
Viewing original works of art can relieve stress, cut heart disease risk and boost immune system, first study of its kind finds.
The research by King’s College London recruited 50 volunteers who were either sent to view art in a gallery or shown reproductions in a non-gallery setting. Those viewing art saw a 22 percent drop in cortisol, compared to 8 percent for the other group. Pro-inflammatory cytokines, which are linked to chronic diseases including heart disease, also dropped by up to 30 percent.
Researchers measured the physiological responses of participants while viewing masterpieces by world-renowned artists including Manet, Van Gogh and Gauguin in a gallery. They found that art positively influences the immune, hormone and nervous systems all at once - something never previously recorded. The findings suggest that seeing original art not only moves people emotionally, but also calms the body and promotes health and wellbeing.
Dr Tony Woods of King's College London, who was the study's lead researcher, told Sky News: "The magnitude of the difference between being in here and looking at the real art, looking at the copies in the laboratory, the difference between the two participant groups was quite enormous."
“Our study provides compelling evidence that viewing art in a gallery is ‘good for you’,” said Dr Woods. “In essence, art doesn’t just move us emotionally - it calms the body too.”
