Get Artsy

When’s the last time you visited an art museum or local gallery and immersed yourself in the experience? If the answer is not recently, it may be time to change your weekend plans. A growing body of research suggests that visiting an art museum may reduce stress and the stress hormone cortisol, improve cognitive function, increase happiness, and induce feelings of social connectedness.

In fact, “social prescribing” programs in the United Kingdom now have doctors prescribing art museum visits to certain patients because of the health and well‑being impacts. If you don’t have access to an art museum, try a virtual visit at the Museum of Modern Art or the Metropolitan Museum of Art.