Overview
- King’s College London researchers reported a 22% average drop in cortisol after 20 minutes with original paintings, compared with an 8% drop for people viewing reproductions.
- Two inflammatory cytokines fell by about 30% and 28% among gallery viewers, with no change detected in the group shown copies in a non-gallery setting.
- Fifty adults aged 18 to 40 were split between the Courtauld Gallery and a comparison venue, wore sensors tracking heart rate and skin temperature, and provided pre‑ and post‑viewing saliva samples.
- Physiological signs of engagement in the gallery group included slightly lower skin temperature, higher overall heart rates, and more variable heartbeat patterns.
- The unreviewed study was funded by the Art Fund and the Psychiatry Research Trust, and the team said the effects appeared across immune, endocrine, and autonomic systems.