Does Viewing Art in the Museum Reduce Anxiety and Improve Wellbeing?

This article presents research conducted within Leicester's New Walk Museum exploring whether viewing art within the museum impacts reported anxiety. The two studies discussed here are part of a PhD project looking at perception and experience of art within the museum, and how this can influence wellbeing and affective responses. The first study looked at the responses of museum staff, while the second compared those of frequent and infrequent museum visitors. The article focuses on self-reported data collected using the State Trait Anxiety Inventory as well as through semi-structured interviews. Participants reported a reduction in anxiety levels from their trait level after viewing the art; however, this amount differed for each participant group.