Huge cohort studies prove it, says professor at University College London, but you have to actually engage with the art to see results.

from https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2026/01/02/its-official-statistics-prove-that-art-really-is-good-for-your-health by Anna Somers Cocks

“The American writer Mark Twain was fond of the saying, “There are three kinds of lies: lies, damn lies and statistics.” When we hear statistics supposedly proving that the arts are good for our health, how do we know they are not unrepresentative numbers being quoted by the arts sector desperately pleading its case for more money?

Daisy Fancourt, 35, is professor of psychobiology and epidemiology (investigating the causes and spread of diseases) at University College London, and has raised the study of the effects of the arts on health to a level of statistical credibility that might convince even Mark Twain.

To be valid, statistics need to be based on a large enough sample to be representative of the selected study group, adjusted to take account of potentially distorting factors, and with the data gathered over a long enough period to show tendencies, not just occasional responses to situations.”