Experimental project to combat anxiety and stress in museums starts in Italy from Milan

The Museum of Natural History and the Gallery of Modern Art in Milan have joined the experimental project ASBA (Anxiety, Stress, Brain-friendly museum, Approach), designed and coordinated by the Center for the Study of the History of Biomedical Thought (CESPEB) of theUniversity of Milan-Bicocca. An experimental project aimed at relieving anxiety and stress.

As early as 2018, Canadian primary care physicians began prescribing a museum visit as a therapy to improvephysical and mental well-being. Belgium also recently launched a pilot study on the Canadian example, with the aim of studying the role museums can play in improving people’s quality of life.

In Italy, the ASBA (Anxiety, Stress, Brain-friendly museum, Approach) pilot project, an interdisciplinary program that intends to use collections and museums as a venue to stimulate community well-being through Mindfulness,Art therapy, Visual thinking strategies, the Art up method and the experimental strategy based on the mix of cultural heritage and nature, starts in Milan.

Each of these methods will be analyzed in an art museum and science museum to demonstrate how these strategies are applicable and effective in different contexts (Art up, on the other hand, may be applied only to art museums). Each meeting will be marked by four moments: the informative part, the experiential part in front of museum objects, the explanation of the objects, and a final discussion. At the beginning and end of each meeting, anxiety and stress levels will be measured by means of standardized tests and user-friendly tools that detect participants’ physiological indices.

Starting at the end of September, La GAM and the Natural History Museum will therefore provide a number of rooms where researchers from the University of Rome “La Sapienza,” the University of Milan and licensed therapists will apply different survey modalities to groups of people who will participate on a voluntary basis. Each group will consist of ten people for an experience lasting about two hours.

“Thanks to the contribution of this experimentation, civic institutes will be able to transform themselves into a space, social and emotional, where art and science can become an opportunity for people, cultures and experiences to meet,” said Culture Councillor Tommaso Sacchi. “A museum, in fact, gathers in itself many functions, including the search for ever new ways to enhance its collections in constant connection with its public, its needs and its needs for growth.”

ASBA grew out of a project by Annalisa Banzi described in the book The brain-friendly museum. Using psychology and neuroscience to improve the visitor experience (in press, Routledge publisher).

Experimental project to combat anxiety and stress in museums starts in Italy from Milan

Warning: the translation into English of the original Italian article was created using automatic tools. We undertake to review all articles, but we do not guarantee the total absence of inaccuracies in the translation due to the program. You can find the original by clicking on the ITA button. If you find any mistake,please contact us.