By MacKenzie Troop.
Viewing art while visiting galleries and museums can have a powerful impact on an individual’s mood, stress and well-being. But does that also apply to viewing art in digital space?
A new study by psychologists led by MacKenzie Trupp and Matthew Pelowski examined whether dealing with art on the internet also has this effect.
Conclusion:
A brief three-minute visit to an online art or culture exhibition also shows significant positive effects on subjective well-being.
In the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, arts and cultural institutions have rapidly moved from stationary buildings to the internet. For the first time, digital museums and the online art galleries took center stage. This had two effects: First, art and cultural assets could be consumed from the sofas of citizens around the world. Secondly, art had the opportunity to reach a much wider audience than before.
Over the past decade, scientists have conducted a great deal of research proving that art can have a positive impact on health and well-being. However, it was unknown whether this effect could also be felt via the Internet.
In a new study, doctoral student MacKenzie Trupp and Matthew Pelowski from the Arts and Research on Transformation of Individuals and Society research group and their colleagues from the Department of Psychology and the Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics asked participants to visit art exhibitions accessible via smartphones, tablets and computers. Psychological status and well-being were measured before and after the visit to determine how viewing the art might be beneficial.
Results showed that even very brief viewings can have significant effects, leading to reduced negative mood, anxiety and loneliness, and higher subjective well-being. These outcomes were comparable to other interventions such as nature experiences and visits to physical art galleries. Upon further investigation, the personal subjective experiences of the individual became an important aspect to consider. The research team discovered that the more meaningful or beautiful people found the art to be, and the more positive feelings they had while looking at it, the greater the benefits.
These results provide evidence that brief online art viewing can improve and support well-being. Additionally, this study places an emphasis on art interventions—a recommendation that can be implemented on-site or made specific to individual viewers. This opens new avenues for further research and applications in spaces such as waiting rooms, hospitals and rural areas where access to art is limited.
The effects of online art viewing are similar to those of visiting physical art galleries or even nature experiences.
Author: MacKenzie Troop
Institute for Psychology of Cognition, Emotion and Methods
Faculty of Psychology, University of Vienna, July 8, 2022
Original publication:
Trupp MD, Bignardi G, Chana K, Specker E and Pelowski M (2022):
“Can a Brief Interaction With Online, Digital Art Improve Wellbeing?”
A Comparative Study of the Impact of Online Art and Culture Presentations on Mood, State-Anxiety, Subjective Wellbeing, and Loneliness. Front. Psychol. 13:782033.
Doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.782033