30/10/2025
Have you visited an art gallery lately? My favourite is always Tate St Ives. Research from King’s College London, suggests that viewing original works of art in a gallery setting can reduce key saliva markers associated with stress and chronic disease.
Volunteers were recruited from staff and students at Kings College. Half the group spent twenty minutes viewing original artworks at The Courtauld Gallery. The other half viewed reproductions of the same paintings in a matched, non-gallery environment. Participants were monitored for heart rate variability and skin temperature to track levels of interest and arousal. Saliva samples were collected before and after viewing.
Levels of cortisol, a key stress hormone, fell by an average of 22% in the gallery group, compared to 8% in the reproduction group. Those viewing original art also had more dynamic heart activity, indicating that art engages the body through both emotional arousal and stress regulation.
Pro-inflammatory cytokines, which are linked to stress and a number of chronic diseases, dropped by around 28% for those viewing original art, while no change was observed in the reproduction group. This suggests art has a potential calming effect on the body’s inflammatory responses.
Dr Tony Woods from Kings said, “Our unique and original study provides compelling evidence that viewing art in a gallery is ‘good for you’ and helps to further our understanding of its fundamental benefits. In essence, art doesn’t just move us emotionally — it calms the body too."
More at https://www.acupuncture-exeter.co.uk/category/longevity-health-preservation/
