Art in the city reduces the feeling of anxiety, stress, and negative mood: A field study examining the impact of artistic intervention in urban public space on well-being
Promoting urban well-being is a significant societal task in the context of rapid urbanization. Past research has highlighted that interaction with urban green spaces, such as parks and forests, is key in promoting urban well-being. However, there is limited knowledge regarding the potential in prom...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Elsevier
2024-12-01
|
| Series: | Wellbeing, Space and Society |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666558124000332 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1846117628869869568 |
|---|---|
| author | Jan Mikuni Margot Dehove Linda Dörrzapf Martin Karl Moser Bernd Resch Pia Böhm Katharina Prager Nikita Podolin Elisabeth Oberzaucher Helmut Leder |
| author_facet | Jan Mikuni Margot Dehove Linda Dörrzapf Martin Karl Moser Bernd Resch Pia Böhm Katharina Prager Nikita Podolin Elisabeth Oberzaucher Helmut Leder |
| author_sort | Jan Mikuni |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Promoting urban well-being is a significant societal task in the context of rapid urbanization. Past research has highlighted that interaction with urban green spaces, such as parks and forests, is key in promoting urban well-being. However, there is limited knowledge regarding the potential in promoting well-being from non-nature elements. In the present study, we explored whether interacting with art could enhance well-being in urban street contexts. In our field experiment, we built two interventions on urban streets, decorating them with either laminated art prints or green elements. We measured subjective and physiological well-being before and after the interaction with the interventions. With this paradigm, we assessed if, not only green, but also artistic interventions can improve well-being. Our results showed that, after interacting with the artistic intervention in an urban environment, the participants reported reduced feelings of anxiety, stress, and negative mood as they did with the green intervention. Further, our results indicate that improvements in well-being were linked to participants’ evaluations of the testing location (restorativeness), of aesthetic quality of the intervention (e.g., beauty, meaningfulness), and of their overall experience (e.g., enjoyment). These findings have significant implications in promoting urban well-being and city planning, as they highlight the potential of art as a novel tool for enhancing urban well-being. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-4bdec923ac6249c9b935324575a0d6c6 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2666-5581 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-12-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Wellbeing, Space and Society |
| spelling | doaj-art-4bdec923ac6249c9b935324575a0d6c62024-12-18T08:53:18ZengElsevierWellbeing, Space and Society2666-55812024-12-017100215Art in the city reduces the feeling of anxiety, stress, and negative mood: A field study examining the impact of artistic intervention in urban public space on well-beingJan Mikuni0Margot Dehove1Linda Dörrzapf2Martin Karl Moser3Bernd Resch4Pia Böhm5Katharina Prager6Nikita Podolin7Elisabeth Oberzaucher8Helmut Leder9Vienna Cognitive Science Hub, University of Vienna, Kolingasse 14-16, Vienna 1090, Austria; Corresponding author.Vienna Cognitive Science Hub, University of Vienna, Kolingasse 14-16, Vienna 1090, AustriaResearch Unit MOVE, Institute of spatial planning, Technical University of Vienna, Vienna, AustriaDepartment of Geoinformatics, University of Salzburg, Salzburg, AustriaDepartment of Geoinformatics, University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria; Center for Geographic Analysis, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USAFaculty of Life Sciences, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria; Urban Human, Vienna, AustriaFaculty of Life Sciences, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria; Urban Human, Vienna, AustriaVienna Cognitive Science Hub, University of Vienna, Kolingasse 14-16, Vienna 1090, Austria; Department of Cognition, Emotion, and Methods in Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Vienna, Vienna, AustriaVienna Cognitive Science Hub, University of Vienna, Kolingasse 14-16, Vienna 1090, Austria; Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Vienna, Vienna, AustriaVienna Cognitive Science Hub, University of Vienna, Kolingasse 14-16, Vienna 1090, Austria; Department of Cognition, Emotion, and Methods in Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Vienna, Vienna, AustriaPromoting urban well-being is a significant societal task in the context of rapid urbanization. Past research has highlighted that interaction with urban green spaces, such as parks and forests, is key in promoting urban well-being. However, there is limited knowledge regarding the potential in promoting well-being from non-nature elements. In the present study, we explored whether interacting with art could enhance well-being in urban street contexts. In our field experiment, we built two interventions on urban streets, decorating them with either laminated art prints or green elements. We measured subjective and physiological well-being before and after the interaction with the interventions. With this paradigm, we assessed if, not only green, but also artistic interventions can improve well-being. Our results showed that, after interacting with the artistic intervention in an urban environment, the participants reported reduced feelings of anxiety, stress, and negative mood as they did with the green intervention. Further, our results indicate that improvements in well-being were linked to participants’ evaluations of the testing location (restorativeness), of aesthetic quality of the intervention (e.g., beauty, meaningfulness), and of their overall experience (e.g., enjoyment). These findings have significant implications in promoting urban well-being and city planning, as they highlight the potential of art as a novel tool for enhancing urban well-being.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666558124000332ArtAesthetic experienceWell-beingField experimentUrban planning |
| spellingShingle | Jan Mikuni Margot Dehove Linda Dörrzapf Martin Karl Moser Bernd Resch Pia Böhm Katharina Prager Nikita Podolin Elisabeth Oberzaucher Helmut Leder Art in the city reduces the feeling of anxiety, stress, and negative mood: A field study examining the impact of artistic intervention in urban public space on well-being Wellbeing, Space and Society Art Aesthetic experience Well-being Field experiment Urban planning |
| title | Art in the city reduces the feeling of anxiety, stress, and negative mood: A field study examining the impact of artistic intervention in urban public space on well-being |
| title_full | Art in the city reduces the feeling of anxiety, stress, and negative mood: A field study examining the impact of artistic intervention in urban public space on well-being |
| title_fullStr | Art in the city reduces the feeling of anxiety, stress, and negative mood: A field study examining the impact of artistic intervention in urban public space on well-being |
| title_full_unstemmed | Art in the city reduces the feeling of anxiety, stress, and negative mood: A field study examining the impact of artistic intervention in urban public space on well-being |
| title_short | Art in the city reduces the feeling of anxiety, stress, and negative mood: A field study examining the impact of artistic intervention in urban public space on well-being |
| title_sort | art in the city reduces the feeling of anxiety stress and negative mood a field study examining the impact of artistic intervention in urban public space on well being |
| topic | Art Aesthetic experience Well-being Field experiment Urban planning |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666558124000332 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT janmikuni artinthecityreducesthefeelingofanxietystressandnegativemoodafieldstudyexaminingtheimpactofartisticinterventioninurbanpublicspaceonwellbeing AT margotdehove artinthecityreducesthefeelingofanxietystressandnegativemoodafieldstudyexaminingtheimpactofartisticinterventioninurbanpublicspaceonwellbeing AT lindadorrzapf artinthecityreducesthefeelingofanxietystressandnegativemoodafieldstudyexaminingtheimpactofartisticinterventioninurbanpublicspaceonwellbeing AT martinkarlmoser artinthecityreducesthefeelingofanxietystressandnegativemoodafieldstudyexaminingtheimpactofartisticinterventioninurbanpublicspaceonwellbeing AT berndresch artinthecityreducesthefeelingofanxietystressandnegativemoodafieldstudyexaminingtheimpactofartisticinterventioninurbanpublicspaceonwellbeing AT piabohm artinthecityreducesthefeelingofanxietystressandnegativemoodafieldstudyexaminingtheimpactofartisticinterventioninurbanpublicspaceonwellbeing AT katharinaprager artinthecityreducesthefeelingofanxietystressandnegativemoodafieldstudyexaminingtheimpactofartisticinterventioninurbanpublicspaceonwellbeing AT nikitapodolin artinthecityreducesthefeelingofanxietystressandnegativemoodafieldstudyexaminingtheimpactofartisticinterventioninurbanpublicspaceonwellbeing AT elisabethoberzaucher artinthecityreducesthefeelingofanxietystressandnegativemoodafieldstudyexaminingtheimpactofartisticinterventioninurbanpublicspaceonwellbeing AT helmutleder artinthecityreducesthefeelingofanxietystressandnegativemoodafieldstudyexaminingtheimpactofartisticinterventioninurbanpublicspaceonwellbeing |