If you’re looking for calming activities during exam season, then a visit to an art gallery could help both your mind and body relax.
Researchers from King’s have found that viewing original artworks in galleries has an immediate positive impact and potential calming effects on the body.
In the research study, 50 volunteers were monitored while viewing either original artworks at The Courtauld Gallery or reproductions in a non‑gallery environment. Those who saw the original art showed much bigger drops in stress hormones and inflammation linked to anxiety, low-mood and long‑term health problems.
In fact, cortisol levels (a key stress hormone) fell by 22% in the gallery group, compared to just 8% for the non-gallery group. Researchers also found signs that original art helps the body relax while staying emotionally engaged.
The findings suggest cultural experiences like visiting galleries don’t just feel good, they may help protect both your mental and physical health.
King’s students get free entry to The Courtauld Gallery, right next to our Strand Campus, so the benefits could be closer than you think.
The Courtauld Collection includes works by Vincent Van Gough, who’s self-portraits were examined by King’s scientists for changes related to his mental health experience in a different research study. Watch this video to discover what they found out.
Information in this article is adapted from The positive impact of art on the body published in October 2025. Read the full research:
The Physiological Impact of Viewing Original Artworks vs. Reprints: A Comparative Study (Courtney Worrell, Madeline Kirkpatrick, Camila Ribeiro Perez, Pierette Fortuna, Leyla Bumbra, Lucy Bradnock & Anthony J. Woods) has been uploaded as a pre-print to the King's College London Research Portal.
Find out more about the research examining the expression of mental health in the art works of famous artists:
A GABA Interneuron Deficit Model of the Art of Vincent van Gogh (Turkheimer FE, Fagerholm ED, Vignando M, Dafflon J, Da Costa PF, Dazzan P and Leech R, 2020) is published in Frontiers in Psychiatry Schizophrenia.