What Are the Reasons for Art Museums to Exist

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A new study published in the Journal of Positive Psychology explains how consuming fine art in a museum tin aid you reduce stress, combat loneliness, and make life feel more meaningful.

"I've always found fine art museums to be calming and engaging environments, and then every bit I began conducting research in psychology I wanted to ameliorate understand people's experiences with the arts and visiting fine art museums," explains psychologist Katherine Cotter from the University of Pennsylvania and co-author of the new research. "I personally have always been restored after visiting an art museum, and as I saw programs offered by museums popping up geared toward flourishing, it seemed natural to dig in deeper and explore the connections between art museums and flourishing."

Cotter's study defines flourishing every bit an umbrella term that comprises two components:

• Well-being refers to the inculcation of strengths, meaning, and positive states. This includes cultivating positive relationships with others in your life, experiencing positive emotions, or feeling engaged in your life and experiences.
• Ill-being refers to the presence of diseases, disorders, and negative states.

Co-ordinate to Cotter, to examine one's quality of life in a holistic fashion, we need to consider both components of flourishing.

After an extensive literature review and thorough evaluation of art museum-based programs, Cotter and her squad identified iii major benefits that we tin can gain from frequent visits to an art museum:

1. Information technology is a rewarding experience. Visiting fine art museums stimulates positive emotions, promotes feelings of engagement resulting in an improved quality of life.
2. It reduces cortisol levels. Visiting an art museum can assist usa reduce stress equally it immediately reduces the production of cortisol (a hormone related to stress) in our body.
3. It combats isolation. Both the artworks equally well as the visitors at museums tin can make us feel continued and less isolated. It can even atomic number 82 to the building of a like-minded community.

While researchers are still seeking concrete explanations for why fine art has this outcome on our mental health, Cotter expands on a couple of hypotheses, listed here:

#1. Art museums help the states in feeling immersed

Since an fine art museum is a space that one does not visit frequently, it is natural for the states to feel transported into some other world when we really do visit one.

"We might lose rail of fourth dimension or notice ourselves captivated in a item work during our visit. In our everyday lives, nosotros probably aren't having these sorts of experiences as well often, and then in this sense it makes the museum a unique space. Through these forms of immersion, we may boost our positive emotions or feel a bit more than alive," explains Cotter.

#2. Fine art museums help us engage in reflective idea

Visiting a museum can likewise induce reflection and contemplative states which enable usa to think about ourselves and our lives differently, form new connections, and expose ourselves to newer perspectives.

"Because we're able to disengage from the outside globe a bit, our minds can travel new paths and assist u.s.a. to gain new perspectives," clarifies Cotter.

How to experience an art museum

If you are someone who feels intimidated visiting an art museum, Cotter has the post-obit advice:

• Participate in a guided tour. Guided tours can help provide information about a range of artworks but also provide some tips or ideas for how to expect at art.
• Don't overthink information technology. Cotter reminds us that in that location is no correct or incorrect mode to expect at art. Just observe an artwork and ask yourself the following questions: Practice you similar the artwork? Why? Does it remind you of annihilation or brand you feel certain emotions?

"A large part of enjoying art is being open up to the experience and realizing that it's okay if you don't 'get' an artwork or discover it disruptive," shares Cotter. "I go to the museum and that happens to me all the fourth dimension. Going to the fine art museum does non require any knowledge well-nigh art or art history to accept an enjoyable and meaningful visit."

References

Cotter, Katherine (Interview). Is art the answer to our mental health problems? Therapytips.org, April 9, 2022.

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Source: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/social-instincts/202204/3-reasons-why-visiting-art-museum-can-boost-your-mood

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