4 Reasons Why Looking at Art Is Good For You

Can you imagine a doctor prescribing art? This year, there have been several such instances internationally—including in Canada, the U.S., and Switzerland—with patients receiving free entry to museums, exhibition tours, and creative activities to help alleviate a variety of symptoms. (In fact, an Artsy article predicted this in 2018…)

Several institutions around the globe are actively working to bring art and well-being closer together. The World Health Organization, for example, co-launched the global initiative Jameel Arts & Health Lab in 2023 with the aim “to measurably improve health and wellbeing through the arts” and “to drive the integration of the arts into mainstream healthcare,” according to its website.

“A growing body of research—including a new systematic review by researchers affiliated with our Lab—shows that even a single session of viewing visual art can significantly enhance wellbeing, reduce stress, and activate pleasure and reward pathways in the brain,” said Dr Nisha Sajnani, director of Arts & Health at New York University and co-director of Jameel Arts & Health Lab. “These effects are amplified by moments of reflection, social connection, and personal meaning—reminding us that art doesn’t just reflect life—it helps us feel more alive.”

From your head to your heart, here are four scientifically-proven ways that art can improve your health and wellbeing.

One of the main ways that viewing art (which is known as receptive engagement in art in scientific literature) has been shown to help well-being by alleviating symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress, which improves mental health.

A 2022 study published in Frontiers in Psychology found that even a small amount of art viewing, either in person or virtually, significantly reduced stress and anxiety levels, with participants showing lower levels of cortisol, the stress hormone, and improved mood.

The importance of art engagement in this regard is increasingly being recognized by governments, too. A groundbreaking 2024 study commissioned by the U.K. government found a high volume of evidence for the improvement of mental health through “general cultural engagement,” including viewing art. It is estimated that in the U.K., there are “127,000 fewer people with depression” as a result, it noted.

The benefit of viewing art is also being recognized in a clinical context. Hospital Rooms, for example, is a U.K. charity that transforms mental health inpatient units by running creative workshops for patients and commissioning artists to create works for these spaces. “We are working with people who often have a diagnosis of a severe mental illness, and who face restrictions on their liberties associated with their care,” said Niamh White, the charity’s co-founder. “Here, the artwork operates at a profound level; it can acknowledge a person’s experience, communicate that they are valued, and offer a view of another world and new possibilities. In complement to clinical care, all of these contribute tangibly to recovery and healing.”

The charity recently announced a new three-year initiative to work with more than 50 artists—including Peter Liversidge, Lakwena Maciver, Veronica Ryan, and Alberta Whittle—on new commissions in U.K. hospitals..

In our uncertain times, is there a more important life skill than resilience? “Viewing art with intention and reflection can enhance emotional awareness and regulation,” wrote the psychiatrist Jason Shimiaie in an article for Psychology Today. “Whether through creating, observing, or reflecting on art, we open pathways to self-discovery and resilience.”

The National Galleries of Scotland (NGS), which runs the “Your Art World” initiative for children, says that art can encourage social interaction and help us to communicate important ideas. “When we look at art, we see the world through the eyes of the artist,” its website states. “Artists can show us a different point of view …. Your Art World celebrates difference, integration and the fact that we all see things differently, encouraging young people to be open-minded, which is one of the traits of a creative mindset.”

Social connections are also especially important for older adults. Isolation and loneliness have been linked to increased health risks, such as heart disease, obesity, a weakened immune system, depression, and cognitive decline. Collaborative activities, such as participating in art groups and attending museums, have been reported to reduce these risks. “Arts engagement is central to healthy aging,” according to the U.K. parliamentary report, Creative Health.

There is scientific evidence that viewing art can help maintain heart health. Looking at artworks has been reported to reduce blood pressure (one report even suggests that figurative art is better for your blood pressure than what the report calls “modern art”). The positive emotions we feel when we are moved by art have also been linked with lower levels of cytokines (proteins that help control inflammation), therefore helping to support immune systems. Another report says that nature and spirituality can have similar effects.

Viewing art can also help to lower heart rates—a marker of a person’s state of health— according to a 2024 study. After monitoring older adults participating in art-based activities, including guided visits at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts over a three-month period, it concluded that time in the museum “significantly decreased full day heart rate, suggesting a health benefit in older community dwellers”.