More Inspired, Less Anxious: Well‐Being Impacts of a Self‐Directed Art Museum Visit

ABSTRACT Increasingly, art museums are seen as places that can support human flourishing. We describe a quasi‐experimental investigation of the impacts of a self‐directed art museum visit on adults' subjective well‐being. Data were collected from 363 adults at three art museums in Seattle, WA. Participants spent 60 min in the museum galleries. Researchers measured well‐being before and after their gallery experience, interviewing participants to collect both quantitative data through the Museum Well‐Being Measures Toolkit and qualitative data through open‐ended reflections on their feelings during their visit. Results show that after visiting the art museum, adults felt significantly more inspired and significantly less irritable and nervous. Well‐being impacts differed according to personal factors, including age, social group, relationship to the area, and art museum identity. People attributed changes in their inspiration to the artwork and changes in their irritation and nervousness to the museum environment or to factors outside the museum's control. Findings have implications for research and practice related to the role of art museums in fostering well‐being.