林中斌 部落格 / Blog Chong-Pin Lin

看美術館會贈壽

New York Times, December 22, 2019

accessed Dec 31, 2019

〈看美術館會贈壽〉"Another Benefit to Going to Museums? You May Live Longer"

New York Times, December 22, 2019

●英國醫學期刊2019年12月發表研究報告：常去美術館的人在那段時期死亡機率減少31%。

"...according to the study, which was published this month in The BMJ, formerly The British Medical Journal. People who went to a museum or the theater once a month or even every few months had a 31 percent reduced risk of dying in that period, according to the study."

●經過14年的研究發現：50歲以上的人一年去一兩次美術館或演奏會的人在這段時期內死亡機率減少14%。

"Researchers in London who followed thousands of people 50 and older over a 14-year period discovered that those who went to a museum or attended a concert just once or twice a year were 14 percent less likely to die during that period than those who didn’t."

●專家說：接觸藝術的人 更可能關注世界。...對於藝術有興趣而且感動的人也對生命有目標。...而且藝術減少個人的孤獨感，增加同理心，有助於明智的處理自己的情緒。

"Professor Andrew Steptoe, the head of University College London's research department of behavioral science and health said the following： ....people who expose themselves to the arts are likely to be more engaged in the world... Being involved and excited by the arts keeps and maintains your purpose in life....(E)ngaging in the arts can reduce loneliness, promote empathy and emotional intelligence.... "

●美國阿肯色州研究者發現：學校帶去美術館參觀欣賞的兒童在校際考試的成績比學校沒有帶去美術館參觀欣賞的兒童高。

"University of Arkansas researchers found that children who were taken on field trips to museums performed better in school and scored higher on standardized tests than those whose schools did not take students on field trips."

林中斌試摘譯 20191231

敬請賜教

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/22/us/arts-health-effects-ucl-study.html

Another Benefit to Going to Museums? You May Live Longer

Researchers in Britain found that people who go to museums, the theater and the opera were less likely to die in the study period than those who didn’t.

Leonardo da Vinci’s “The Virgin and Child” at the Louvre in Paris. A British study found that people who engaged with the arts had a lower likelihood of dying during the study period than those who did not.Credit...Thibault Camus/Associated Press

By Maria Cramer

• Published Dec. 22, 2019Updated Dec. 27, 2019

Numerous studies have shown that art and music can help soothe chronic pain, stave off symptoms of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease and accelerate brain development in young children.

Now, there is evidence that simply being exposed to the arts may help people live longer.

Researchers in London who followed thousands of people 50 and older over a 14-year period discovered that those who went to a museum or attended a concert just once or twice a year were 14 percent less likely to die during that period than those who didn’t.

The chances of living longer only went up the more frequently people engaged with the arts, according to the study, which was published this month in The BMJ, formerly The British Medical Journal. People who went to a museum or the theater once a month or even every few months had a 31 percent reduced risk of dying in that period, according to the study.

The study controlled for socioeconomic factors like a participant’s income, education level and mobility, said Andrew Steptoe, a co-author of the study and the head of University College London’s research department of behavioral science and health.

“Even if you take those things into account, we still found that there is a difference in the survival of people who are involved in the arts,” Professor Steptoe said in an interview on Friday.

The study did not examine what kind of music, art or theater led to a longer life, he said.

In other words, it’s not clear whether your chances of living longer are improved by choosing “Die Walküre” over “The Phantom of the Opera.”

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But Professor Steptoe said researchers theorized that people who expose themselves to the arts are likely to be more engaged in the world.

“We know that a sense of purpose in life is important,” he said. “Being involved and excited by the arts keeps and maintains your purpose in life.”

The study also noted that engaging in the arts can reduce loneliness, promote empathy and emotional intelligence, and keep people from becoming sedentary — all factors that contribute to a longer life.

Many studies have examined the positive effects of the arts on older people.

Americans over 55 who did not create art or go to concerts, museums or plays reported higher rates of hypertension and cognitive decline than those who did, according to a study of nearly 1,500 participants released by the National Endowment for the Arts in 2017.

Similar studies have shown the benefits of exposing children and adolescents to art.

University of Arkansas researchers found that children who were taken on field trips to museums performed better in school and scored higher on standardized tests than those whose schools did not take students on field trips.

The London study is believed to be the first comprehensive examination of the effects of art on mortality, Professor Steptoe said.

From 2004 to 2005, researchers collected data from 6,710 people who responded to questionnaires about how often they went to concerts, museums, galleries, the theater or the opera. (Professor Steptoe said the effect of moviegoing had already been examined elsewhere and was not considered in the study.)

In addition to providing personal information such as age, gender, ethnicity, marital status, educational background, profession and income, participants also answered questions about their physical and mental health, how often they smoked or drank, and how much exercise they got.

Over the next 14 years, about 2,000 participants died — a vast majority of them from illnesses related to cancer, cardiovascular disease, respiratory problems and other natural causes, according to the study. (The tiny fraction of participants who died of unnatural causes was still included in the study, Professor Steptoe said.)

The researchers combed through the data they had collected to search for patterns. They said their findings suggested, but did not prove, that participating in the arts could lead to a longer life span.

“This study raises a number of future research questions,” the authors wrote.

For example, future studies could consider how engagement in the arts from a young age might affect a person’s life span.

The study also did not examine whether there was any overlap with participants who actively participated in art, as by playing music, dancing or painting.

Still, the results of the study excited art and theater advocates who said they hoped the research would motivate a push to restore arts and music programs that have been cut from schools in New York and around the country over the years.

“So much of that has been destroyed,” said Heather A. Hitchens, chief executive of the American Theater Wing, which funds a wide range of productions and programs.

“Too often, the arts are seen as this frill, but they really do play an essential role in our lives,” Ms. Hitchens said. “Now we have a study telling us it helps us live longer. It’s just yet the latest example of how powerful the arts are.”

Advocates said the study was also a reminder of how critical it is for the arts to be more accessible to Americans of all incomes.

Gabriella Souza, a spokeswoman for the Walters Art Museum in Baltimore, said the study’s results were not surprising.

“In terms of finding peace and tranquillity in galleries, that is one of the reasons people come to our museums,” she said.

The museum, which offers free admission and gets about 160,000 visitors a year, recently surveyed visitors about why they come. Twenty percent of them said for “peace and rejuvenation,” Ms. Souza said.

“It’s a real testament to how important exposure really is,” she said. “You need to be able to access art to be able to appreciate it.”