If you’re currently experiencing mental health challenges, or if you’re feeling stressed, run-down or lonely, a visit to a local museum, art gallery or other cultural institution might be just the ticket to help you feel better.
While research on the relationship between population health and arts engagement is relatively new, according to the University of Melbourne there is a correlation between regular ‘general cultural attendance’, increased longevity and beneficial impacts on mental health and wellbeing.
Other studies have shown that exposure to art and cultural artifacts can lower levels of cortisol, a stress hormone, leading to improved mood and overall wellbeing. And museums and galleries themselves – which typically offer a quiet and relaxed atmosphere – can serve as a haven from the stress of everyday life, allowing visitors to unwind and recharge.
Additionally, museums can help you develop and foster social connections and community engagement, which are integral to mental health. Activities such as guided tours, workshops, or group activities are a chance to connect with other people and share enriching and interesting experiences. Social interactions such as these not only contribute to a sense of belonging but also provide opportunities for personal growth and development.
Increasingly, museums are embracing their role as spaces for wellbeing, introducing programs designed to support mental and emotional health. Some now host mindfulness and meditation sessions among their collections, offering visitors a calming environment to slow down, reduce stress, and reconnect with themselves. These initiatives often draw on principles of art therapy, using creative engagement to help people build emotional resilience and deepen self-awareness.
And this shift isn’t just happening on the margins – it’s being taken seriously by healthcare professionals, too. In Canada, a program in which doctors prescribed museum visits as a complementary treatment for conditions such as anxiety, depression, and chronic illness kicked off in 2018, while a similar health initiative in Switzerland – prescribing visits to galleries, museums and public gardens – launched in early 2025.
These ‘museum prescriptions’ reflect a growing understanding that health isn’t just about medicine – it’s also about meaning, connection, and the environments we inhabit. As this movement continues to grow, cultural institutions are well-positioned to become not just places of learning and inspiration, but also vital contributors to public health.
So next time you’re feeling overwhelmed or simply in need of a reset, stepping into a gallery might offer more than a dose of culture – it might just be good medicine.
How Flourish Australia can help
Flourish Australia helps people with a lived experience of mental health issues feel supported so they can meet their everyday challenges. We want them to live ordinary, even extraordinary lives.
For more information, contact us on 1300 779 270 or make an enquiry now.
Talk to us today
For more information, contact us on 1300 779 270 or make an enquiry now.
