Placing a single painting in your daily life.
Does it do anything for the state of your mind? Research is slowly beginning to offer some answers.
Let me start with what is known. This is not a promise of any effect, though.
Looking at paintings in a museum lowers stress hormones
There is a study carried out at the Courtauld Gallery in London.
In the group that viewed original works by artists such as Van Gogh and Gauguin, levels of cortisol, a stress hormone, were reported to fall by 22 percent on average. In the group that viewed reproductions of the same paintings, the drop was only 8 percent.
What drew attention was the difference between the originals and the reproductions. The study was conducted by King's College London with Art Fund.
Even a short time can make a difference
In another study of people working in the City of London, both self-reported stress and cortisol levels in saliva went down after about 35 to 40 minutes of looking at artworks.
The researchers noted that stress may ease even with a short viewing, without spending a long time.
A study published in the UK in 2019 also reported that people who often go to the theatre, concerts, museums or other arts and cultural venues had a lower mortality rate than those who do not.
Not making the effect the goal
All of the research above reports that such results were observed.
It does not mean that hanging a painting will always reduce stress. Everyone feels things differently, and the research is still building up.
Even so, many studies point in the same direction: when color and form move the heart, the body responds as well.
Having one painting in your life
A museum is a place you decide to go to. Keeping one painting at home is different.
It catches your eye when you look up in the morning. It sits at the edge of your view when you come home at night. Most of the time, you are not even thinking about it.
On a tired day, or on a day when you have something to decide, the same painting looks different. It means having one thing in your life that reflects who you are that day.
Mermaid nao's Personal Order Art turns what you share in conversation into color, form and light on a single painting. Each piece is delivered framed.
[References]
Yoga Journal Online (Japanese): Just by visiting a museum? Viewing art reduces stress, with good effects on immunity too, latest research suggests
Design no Shiru (Japanese): Looking at Van Gogh really lowers cortisol: the UK study that first measured the physical effects of viewing art
Hakubutsukan Kenkyu / Museum Studies (Japanese): Does viewing art in museums reduce stress? The healing effect seen through scientific evidence
Wellulu (Japanese): Does viewing art improve well-being? Museum bathing and its healing effect, with Professor Ogata of Kyushu Sangyo University
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