Art on prescription: This is how culture heals the body and soul in Germany!

A recent British study shows that consuming art and cultural offerings increases people's quality of life and productivity. This study puts the health benefits of arts and heritage at £8 billion a year. As part of these findings, Professor Stefan Willich leads the “Network Art and Medicine” at the Berlin Charité, which investigates the therapeutic use of art.

Music therapy, which has been proven to have positive physiological effects, for example on premature babies, receives particular attention. This form of therapy promotes oxygen saturation, breastfeeding frequency, airway maturation and leads to shortened hospital stays. In addition, music therapy is also used for diseases such as dementia, autism and in the cardiovascular area, where it has been proven to lower blood pressure.

Art on prescription and the role of the WHO

A pilot project called “Art on Prescription” was launched in Bremen, which aims to strengthen people’s mental health. The project was started in 2022 to respond to psychological stress caused by the corona pandemic. With the “art on prescription” approach, doctors have the opportunity to prescribe cultural offerings. With an appropriate prescription, patients can take part in courses that include, for example, drawing or improvisational theater. Feedback from patients and medical professionals has been overwhelmingly positive and the concept is seen as a valuable addition to the healthcare system as it fills an important gap.

In addition, the World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed the positive effects of artistic activities on mental and physical health in a comprehensive meta-study in 2019. The report, launched at an event in Helsinki, analyzed over 900 European publications and categorized art forms into five areas: performing arts, visual arts, literature and culture, online arts and health promotion. Art and creative activities have positive effects in therapeutic, rehabilitative and preventive contexts and are of great importance for all age groups.

The WHO report results include a variety of recommendations for health policy implementation that are intended to stimulate international knowledge exchange and government funding for research projects. This could represent a significant advance in the integration of art into healthcare, which is increasingly recognized as a valuable tool to promote health.