A recent study coming out of Italy found that viewing paintings can have the effect of lowering a person stress level. Researchers tested the amount of stress hormones in the saliva of 200 volunteers before and after they viewed the collection of paintings contained in the Basilica of Vicoforte.
The scientists found that looking at all that artwork resulted in a significant decrease in the presence of stress hormones in 90 percent of the experiment’s participants.
Read the full article here: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-3554118/People-admire-classic-paintings-stress-hormone-levels-drop-SIXTY-cent.html