One lunchtime trip to an art gallery calms down stressed-out financial brokers as effectively as five hours of relaxing at home, a British study has found.
Not only did the brokers feel more relaxed after looking at paintings and sculpture, but even their body chemistry changed.
Their levels of cortisol - a stress related hormone that causes wear and tear on the body - fell rapidly as they strolled through a museum.
The University of Westminster study followed several dozen London office workers from the financial district known as the City.
After just 40 minutes viewing the collections, participants rated their perceived stress levels as 45% lower. Saliva samples confirmed the change was real. Their cortisol levels fell by 32% in the same period, a drop that would normally take five hours of rest.
The findings applied in both men and women but were more pronounced in men.
Cortisol helps the body's fight-or-flight response in a crisis. But over a long time, this raises blood pressure and does other damage.
Now the university says art represents a quick and drug-free way to manage stress on the job.
Information is from an article in the Montreal Gazette, January 2006
