“Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.” So Pablo Picasso supposedly once said, while pontificating on the power of his profession. He was half right. According to new research, art is also good for our health.
A first-of-its-kind study by King’s College London has found that looking at art can – as well as moving us emotionally – benefit our physical wellbeing by reducing stress and inflammation.
Researchers recruited 50 volunteers, who were either sent to view artworks in London’s Courtauld Gallery, or shown reproductions in a non-gallery setting. Participants’ heart rates and skin temperatures were monitored to “track levels of interest and arousal”. Their cytokines and cortisol levels, which indicate stress, were also measured.
