Art-induced psychological well-being: Individual traits shape the beneficial effects of aesthetic experiences

Since the beginning of the last century, a wide variety of studies have provided evidence of the role of art in improving health and well-being. In this study, we engaged 92 young adults in a guided tour of a contemporary art exhibition, centered around human freedom themes, offering an immersive multi-sensory experience. We aim to discover potential immediate beneficial effects of such aesthetic experience on anxiety, empathy, and compassion, and investigate how these effects relate to visitors’ psychological traits. We also studied whether individual characteristics could explain differences in visitors’ behavioral responses – i.e., visit time and post-visit evaluations. Prior to the experience, we collected participants’ information about their art preferences, interests, and expertise, and assessed their psychological traits of curiosi psychological traits define clusters of people who may benefit more from experiencing such art exhibitions.