Not only does research show that being able to see trees and nature through a window is healing for hospital patients, but now it’s been discovered that even looking at landscape paintings is therapeutic.
Here’s what nursingtimes.net reports: Placing pictures of natural landscapes in mental health settings can reduce anxiety levels among service users and, subsequently, their need for medication, according to US researchers. Art was displayed on a rotation basis on the walls of an acute care psychiatric unit. Results showed drugs dispensed by nurses for anxiety and agitation was significantly lower on days when a realistic nature image of a landscape was displayed, as compared to days when abstract art or no art was displayed. The authors said: “The study concluded that positive distractions, like visual art depicting restorative nature scenes, could help to reduce mental health patients’ anxiety and agitation in healthcare settings.”
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