Hi. I'm Neil, the host of the Good News Podcast. This is your source for good news, fun stories, and sonic joy. All of this goodness is coming to you from beautiful Chicago, Illinois.

For today's episode of the Good News Podcast, we are headed to London to talk about art. In particular, how it can affect your health. Man, I really like finding out new or confirming no brainer ways to lower stress and improve mental and physical health on the Good News podcast. We've talked about walking in the woods, spending time in the woods, birdsong, taking in culture, like museums. And depending on the studies, some of these findings relied on people self reporting, how they felt, or other kinds of squishy data.

I was reading an article from Art Net, and I read a bit of a study covered in this article called the physiological impact of viewing original artworks versus reprints, a comparative study. This study caught my eye because it actually captured some real physiological changes in people viewing art that lead the researchers to believe viewing art can help reduce stress and improve health. Okay. I'll give you the foundation here. 50 volunteers viewed classic pieces of art.

We're talking Gauguin, Manet, Toulouse Lautrec, Van Gogh. Researchers gathered data from digital health monitors that they were wearing and collected saliva samples, test for cortisol level and cytokines, both of which can help determine stress levels. And at least to the researchers, the findings are pretty stark. The people who were viewing legit pieces of art in a gallery had a cortisol level drop of 22% on average. The tricky part is that it seems like the most benefit really comes from seeing true blue artwork in person.

Cortisol levels dropped by about 8% when people were looking at reproductions of famous pieces of art. This study hasn't been peer reviewed. It's pretty fresh. But I appreciate that this study is focused on hard numbers and chemistry to reach findings. To quote the study itself, these findings indicate that authentic aesthetic engagement can activate integrated pathways of stress regulation and immune balance, offering a biopsychological mechanism through which cultural experiences promote resilience and well-being.

I'm not a medical professional, but I feel pretty safe in recommending anyone listening to this partake in a authentic aesthetic engagement or cultural experience. It's good for your mind and body. Right after that, go spend some time in a forest. That'll help too. That's the good news I have for you today.

Enjoy the rest of your day.

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