Viewing a work of art – whether in a hospital corridor, a museum hall, or on a screen – can measurably enhance the sense of meaning and personal growth. This is indicated by a systematic review published in April 2025 in a prestigious journal in the field of positive psychology, which summarizes decades of scattered findings and for the first time provides a clear picture of when, where, and why observing visual art benefits well-being.

Psychologists and aesthetics experts from multiple universities – including the University of Vienna, Trinity College Dublin, and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin – analyzed 38 previously published papers with a total of 6,805 participants. The conclusion is simple, yet far-reaching for health policies and practice: even brief observation of artworks increases eudaimonic well-being – that associated with the experience of meaning, personal development, and authentic progress – and effects were recorded in various settings, from galleries to healthcare institutions and virtual reality.

From galleries to hospitals: where viewing works helps the most

The authors established that positive effects are not limited to "classic" places of encounter with art. Significant increases in well-being are also recorded in clinics and hospitals, where paintings, installations, or photographs accompany patients in waiting rooms, corridors, and therapy spaces. In technologically mediated experiences – for example, through virtual or augmented reality – participants also report a heightened sense of meaning, reduced tension, and greater engagement. Such a line of findings opens the door to accessible interventions: curated "micro-exhibitions" in healthcare institutions, projections of reproductions in living rooms of nursing homes, or personalized VR tours through museum collections for patients who cannot travel.

It is interesting that increases in well-being are not limited to one type of art. Figurative and abstract paintings, contemporary installations, sculptures, photographs, and mixed media were analyzed. Regardless of the stylistic level of abstraction, the key is the act of dedicated observation: pausing, taking a few minutes of time, and a mental "exchange" with the work. The audience often mentions that certain iconic images – for example, Munch’s "The Scream" or Van Gogh’s "The Starry Night" – literally "catch" them and encourage introspection, connecting personal memories, and redefining current worries.

How it works: from aesthetic experience to meaning and personal growth

Unlike hedonistic aspects of well-being (momentary pleasure, relaxation), eudaimonic well-being gathers feelings of meaning, purpose, and self-improvement. The review suggests at least two mechanisms through which observing art operates. The first is an affective-cognitive "trigger": visual stimuli of complex composition, color, texture, and symbolism activate emotional and interpretive processes. The second is narrative integration: based on what is seen, the viewer reorganizes and supplements their own life narratives – which is central to the experience of meaning and personal development. In practice, a well-designed exhibition situation (or digital experience) that encourages pausing, observing details, lingering, and silent reflection can trigger precisely these processes.

In numerous studies, participants describe the work "leading" them toward questions: who am I, where am I going, what is truly important to me. Such questions are not fleeting; they generate micro-insights that spill over into everyday functioning. A reduction in self-reported anxiety and a sense of greater control over challenges was also recorded, which is particularly visible in healthcare environments where uncertainty and apprehension often dominate the experience of space.

How much is "enough"? Temporal dynamics and experience design

Although the review is not a meta-analysis with a single effect size, a motif of brevity runs transversally through the papers: even a few minutes of focused observation can be sufficient for measurable shifts. This is also confirmed by separate experimental studies from previous years that tested brief online interactions with art. In terms of implementation, this means that healthcare institutions and public bodies do not necessarily have to organize large and expensive projects to achieve an effect; sometimes a smartly curated and clearly marked "art encounter point" is enough to stimulate the desired processes.

For curators and healthcare workers, this opens practical design questions: visual accessibility must be enabled (good lighting, contrast), minimal distractions (noise reduction, spatial clarity), and informational "anchors" that offer the viewer stimuli for reflection without imposing interpretation. A call for a "slower look" also works well: short instructions for observing colors, lines, and relationships, or a question pointing to a personal connection with the motif.

In hospitals: from waiting to empowerment

The most pronounced value of observing art was noted in hospital and clinical contexts. Patients, families, and medical staff are often exposed to stress, uncertainty, and information overload. An artwork, placed in a thoughtful location, can function as a "micro-oasis": a neutral, quiet, and stimulating center of attention that encourages emotion regulation. Some programs additionally use short guided reflections or cards with questions (e.g., "What do you notice first?"; "Which color attracts you the most and why?") – tools that expand the effect without invasiveness and without interfering with clinical protocols.

For managers of hospitals and health centers, the logistical aspect is also important: inserting art into traffic flows must not reduce the functionality of the space, and the selection of works should be guided by aesthetic diversity and sensitivity to context (for example, avoiding overly intense motifs in examination rooms). When these conditions are met, a modest intervention – rotating a few reproductions or collaborating with a local gallery – can provide measurable gains in the experience of space and user well-being.

Virtual and augmented reality: when the gallery comes to the user

Virtual collections and 360-degree tours – from displays of major museums to specialized digital exhibitions – expand access even to persons who cannot or do not wish to travel. The review states that such experiences can generate similar patterns of benefit as physical visits, provided they are designed for active observation (zooming in on details, freedom of movement through the work, temporal pause for reflection). In healthcare and educational programs, VR/AR can be particularly useful as a "mobile gallery": content is brought to the ward, classroom, or home.

In a technological sense, display quality and ease of use are essential. Additionally, curators and therapists can prepare short thematic "paths": for example, three works with a night sky motif (including "The Starry Night") accompanied by questions about peace, hope, and persistence. Users usually remember such mini-narratives and return to them, whereby the effect is prolonged beyond the moment of viewing itself.

New rules of the game: RAARR guidelines for better research

One of the key contributions of the review is also the diagnosis of methodological inconsistencies in existing literature. To make future works easier to compare and replicate, the team proposed the Receptive Art Activity Research Reporting Guidelines (RAARR) – a set of reporting guidelines for art observation studies. RAARR encourages consistent description of context (where and how it is viewed), content (which works, which media), duration, observation instructions, accompanying activities (educational, reflective, social), outcome measures (e.g., domains of well-being), and follow-up time. Such standardization facilitates meta-analyses and transversal comparisons, and consequently stronger recommendations for practice.

Call to decision-makers: art as a low-cost healthcare resource

The authors of the review clearly indicate that art should not remain a "luxury" in public policies. When viewed through the prism of preventive healthcare and mental health, it is an accessible, relatively inexpensive, and flexible resource. In healthcare systems struggling with overload and staff shortages, small and scalable interventions that encourage eudaimonic well-being can mitigate psychosocial pressures – both for patients and healthcare workers. Moreover, relevant institutions in Europe are already seeking solid evidence to more precisely determine which types of art activities are most beneficial for specific outcomes (e.g., anxiety, pain, quality of life).

When priorities are set, preference should be given to interventions that combine three elements: (1) accessibility (physical or digital), (2) brief but focused observation time, and (3) gentle, unobtrusive stimuli for reflection. Such "units of meaning" are relatively easy to incorporate into existing routines – even in workplaces and schools – without interrupting basic processes.

What this means for museums and galleries: partnerships with healthcare

For museums and galleries, this is an opportunity for more systematic partnerships with healthcare institutions, local communities, and schools. "Art on prescription" programs, traveling exhibitions, workshop formats for staff (e.g., short "slow looking" sessions), and digital packages enabling remote visits can be developed iteratively – with measurement of well-being domains highlighted in the review. Here it is useful to combine different types of works, including famous motifs (iconic works attract attention more easily), but also lesser-known authors who open new questions and perspectives.

Museum educators already have a rich arsenal of tools that elegantly dovetail with the review's findings: guided observations, tactile replicas for children and visually impaired persons, imagination exercises, silent minutes, shared retelling of experiences. Continuous testing and documentation of these formats, alongside RAARR frameworks, can build a strong body of evidence at the local level and thereby improve the visitor experience.

For clinics and medical offices: how to start as early as tomorrow

• Space mapping: identify "micro-locations" where people wait or pause (e.g., points before counters, proximity to elevators, entrances to outpatient clinics). These are ideal zones for placing works.


• Short observation instructions: discreet cues that encourage focus ("Hold your gaze for 60 seconds on a detail that attracts you"; "What surprises you most in this composition?").


• Content rotation: changing works every 2–4 weeks maintains the freshness of the experience and invites a re-encounter.


• Digital access: tablets or screens with curated VR/AR content for users with limited mobility.


• Impact measurement: simple pre/post well-being scales (e.g., a brief assessment of meaning or tension) to track changes and adjust the program.

For schools and workplaces: building the habit of "slow looking"

In education and at work, small "art breaks" can function as a cognitive and emotional reset. At the beginning of a shift, class, or meeting, three minutes of silent observation with one prompt-question ("What in this scene speaks of courage?") is often enough to change the tone and improve readiness for collaboration. The effectiveness of such interventions stems from the same mechanisms described by the review: activation of aesthetic attention, emotional resonance, and narrative integration.

Role of international institutions and research networks

The interest of health and cultural policies in the effects of art is not new, but it has gained strong momentum in recent years. As early as 2019, the international health organization for the European region published a comprehensive review mapping thousands of studies on the role of art in disease prevention, symptom management, and quality of life improvement. Since then, specialized networks and laboratories linking museums, universities, and healthcare institutions have emerged. The systematic review from April 2025 builds upon that foundation by focusing precisely on observing visual art – thus on a "receptive" form of participation that is transferable, scalable, and accessible to a large number of people.

Funding and multidisciplinary team composition

Behind the new review stands an international team uniting psychology, neuroaesthetics, philosophy of mind, and clinical methodology. An important aspect is also European funding through the Horizon 2020 program, within the framework of an initiative focused on the transformative effects of art on individuals and society. Such a framework allows basic research, intervention prototypes, and pilot partnerships with institutions to develop in parallel within the same project. In practice, this means results move faster from scientific journals into curatorial plans, clinical protocols, and educational curricula.

What remains open: duration of effect, dosing, and individual differences

Although the consensus on positive effects is strong, at least three important research questions remain open. First, how long do the effects of a one-time encounter with a work last and how to "dose" them over time? Second, how to personalize the choice of works: preferences, prior experience with art, cultural background, and aesthetic sensitivity can change the experience. Third, what are the optimal instructions and accompanying activities (educational or social) that amplify rather than overshadow personal discovery of meaning? RAARR guidelines offer a tool to consistently record and analyze these parameters, whereby future meta-analyses could provide quantitative "recipes" (e.g., minimum duration, number of sessions, types of works) for different target groups.

Examples from practice: short case studies

Hospital corridor as a gallery – in a children's hospital, a cycle of reproductions rotates with an emphasis on color and play. Parents and children report less tension during waiting periods, and staff notice easier communication upon entering outpatient clinics. Positioning the works at children's eye level and discreet cards with prompts for joint observation were key.

VR tour for immobile patients – a mobile team brings goggles and pre-loaded routes through three museums. Each tour lasts five to seven minutes, with an invitation to hold the gaze on one detail. Patients gladly return to "favorite places," and micro-improvements in mood are recorded immediately after the session.

School program of slow looking – a weekly meeting of ten minutes at the beginning of art or language class, without grading and "correct answers." Students keep a journal of feelings and thoughts; after a month, teachers notice better concentration and a richer vocabulary when describing emotions.

Implementation guidelines: small steps, measurable effects

• Set a well-being goal: choose eudaimonic outcomes (meaning, personal growth) and/or emotional outcomes (anxiety, calmness) you wish to track.


• Choose diverse works: combine figurative and abstract; include recognizable motifs that facilitate entry into the experience.


• Plan short but focused time: 3–7 minutes of observation per work, with minimal distractors.


• Add gentle prompts: one to two open questions or instructions for a "slow look."


• Ensure accessibility: good contrast and lighting, legible legends, quiet zones for observation.


• Record parameters according to RAARR: context, duration, content type, instructions, accompanying activities, measures, and follow-up time.

Why now: context of European policies and health needs

In recent years, European and national institutions are increasingly viewing art as part of a broader spectrum of low-cost, unobtrusive, and culturally sensitive interventions. In societies burdened by chronic stress, isolation, and growing pressure on healthcare systems, interventions that encourage meaning and self-regulation have a double benefit: they simultaneously support the individual and relieve the system. The systematic review from 2025 is a contribution to precisely this endeavor because it compresses scattered knowledge into a handy framework for action – for both the cultural and health sectors.

Looking ahead: toward precise "recipes" for different groups

The next phase of the field's development will likely include larger, randomized, and longitudinal studies that will explicitly test dosing, sequencing, and personalization. RAARR will play an important role in this, as it will allow clear, transferable recommendations to be drawn from multiple studies. Equally important will be the collaboration between museums, schools, hospitals, and universities, so that knowledge transfer happens faster and with less "friction".

In the meantime, the researchers' message is clear: observing art is not a privilege reserved for rare moments in galleries, but a tool that – with thoughtful design and minimal costs – can become part of everyday life, from hospital corridors to classrooms and office spaces. Available to us are works of different eras and media, including those we already know from textbooks and media. What is needed is a little time, a gentle instruction for a "slow look," and a willingness to allow art to help us reshape the experience of ourselves and the world.