In November 2019, the World Health Organization (WHO) published its first major report on the impact of art on health and well-being. Written by researchers Daisy Fancourt and Saoirse Finn, the report drew on over 900 publications and more than 3,000 individual studies. The conclusion was clearer than most had expected: art and aesthetic experiences affect the body and mind in concrete, measurable ways. A poster on the wall is therefore more than just decoration - it is an active part of the environment that influences how you feel, how you sleep, and how long you can keep going, day after day.
The WHO’s 2019 Helsinki report: the most comprehensive body of evidence on art and health
The report "What is the evidence on the role of the arts in improving health and well-being?" was presented in Helsinki on November 11, 2019. It was the first time the WHO had summarized the global research literature on art and health in a single document. The evidence base is impressive: over 200 systematic reviews covering more than 3,000 individual studies, focusing on everything from music and singing to visual art and architecture. The conclusion was that experiences of art play a crucial role in preventing illness, supporting treatment, and promoting well-being throughout life.
What makes the report particularly relevant from an interior design perspective is that it is not only about actively creating art. Passive exposure to visual art - living with paintings, photographs, and illustrations on the walls - has been shown to have measurable effects on stress markers, social connectedness, and cognitive recovery. So simply having art in your surroundings is enough. The cited research indicates that aesthetic experiences trigger positive processes in the body: lower cortisol levels, improved emotional regulation, and greater resilience to anxiety and depression.
Since then, the Public Health Agency of Sweden has included cultural participation in its health reports, and a full text of the WHO report is available through NCBI for anyone who wants to read the primary evidence.
Quick facts: The WHO report on art and health, launched in Helsinki on November 11, 2019, by Daisy Fancourt and Saoirse Finn, draws on more than 900 publications and 200 systematic reviews covering over 3,000 individual studies. It is the most comprehensive body of evidence on art’s effects on health and well-being that the organization has compiled.
The Brain’s Reward System and Why a Familiar Poster Activates It
A study published in Frontiers in Psychology in 2025 shows that visual art can activate the brain's reward and motivation circuits in a way similar to music and social interactions. The researchers observed lower stress levels and increased positive feelings among participants in environments with artistic elements, compared with control groups in neutral rooms. The effect was noticeable even after brief exposure.
This is partly about what neuroaesthetics calls the state of open contemplation - the cognitive freedom of movement that arises when the brain is engaged but not strained. A poster featuring a familiar subject, an artist's visual language you have learned to read, or a landscape that brings back memories creates a kind of pause in the rest of the information noise. It is not idle time - it is active recovery of a kind that requires no effort.
Neuroaesthetics also suggests that aesthetic enjoyment is strengthened by familiarity. The poster you have seen every morning for three years can have a stronger effect on your well-being than one you put up last week. The brain gradually builds a positive chain of associations around an image you genuinely like and activates it every time you see it. This is one of the strongest arguments for choosing art you truly like, rather than what you think you should like.
View abstract posters - a category that neuroaesthetic research links to open, nonlinear thinking and the kind of cognitive freedom that benefits recovery and creativity.
62 to 90 percent of a room's feel is determined by color - not furniture
It is well known that colors affect us psychologically. What surprises most people is how direct and physiological this effect is. Research summarized by Color Institute shows that 62 to 90 percent of an unconscious assessment of an environment is based exclusively on color. In other words, your brain has already formed an opinion about how you feel in a room long before you have had a chance to register the furniture, floor plan, or view.
Red increases heart rate and blood pressure and stimulates social energy - one reason it has historically been used in dining rooms and social spaces. Blue and green activate the parasympathetic nervous system, which controls rest and recovery, and lower heart rate. A study published in MDPI Building in 2025 specifically examined how a room's wall color, combined with the properties of its light sources, affects the body's circadian rhythm and the depth of nighttime sleep.
The practical effect for those who choose posters: a green nature poster in the bedroom communicates biological signals of safety and rest through the visual system. This is not a metaphor - it is measured physiology. Cool green and blue tones in bedroom settings have been linked in several studies to shorter time to fall asleep and deeper sleep.
"Your brain has already decided how you feel in a room long before you’ve had a chance to register the furniture. Up to 90 percent of an unconscious assessment of a room is based solely on color."
Browse botanical prints and nature motifs for green and organic tones with documented calming effects.
Nature motifs, abstract forms, and famous masters: which subjects promote well-being
A British study of 7,182 adults, conducted as part of the Taking Part Survey—a national cultural survey—found that regular aesthetic engagement predicts subjective well-being in a statistically significant way. The study highlighted that passive engagement with art—living with and reflecting on aesthetic works—has measurable well-being effects comparable to actively creating art.
Research in environmental psychology suggests that nature motifs, open landscapes, and organic forms are generally perceived as more stress-reducing than urban and geometric motifs. This is a biologically rooted pattern: we are evolutionarily adapted to respond positively to signs of resources—water, greenery, the horizon—and negatively to signs of crowding and loss of control. Research into the effects of spending time in nature, a field that has grown significantly since 2020, confirms that simply seeing nature motifs can have effects similar to a short time outdoors.
This explains why minimalist posters with nature-inspired forms work so well in home offices and bedrooms—they give the brain room to wander without demanding full attention. It also explains why artworks by famous artists such as Monet, Matisse, and Hokusai keep appearing in research on aesthetic experiences: their art balances complexity and harmony in a way the brain finds rewarding without being demanding.
Tips: Choose artwork based on the room’s purpose, not just its appearance. In the bedroom, green and blue nature motifs promote sleep and recovery. In the home office, abstract forms with movement and open compositions work best for creative thinking. In the living room, you have more freedom—choose what genuinely brings you joy rather than what you think you should have.
Read more about how abstract and botanical motifs work as wall decor in the guides Abstract Posters – A Guide to Choosing, Rooms, and Placement and Botanical Posters – A Guide to Plants, Flowers, and Nature at Home.
The bedroom, home office, and hallway: the three rooms where art makes the biggest difference
Research on environmental psychology and aesthetic experience offers clear clues about where wall art matters most. Three rooms stand out as especially important.
The bedroom is the best-documented. Studies consistently link nature motifs and muted colors to shorter time to fall asleep and deeper sleep. The last visual cue before your eyes close affects the brain’s transition to rest. A large, calming poster – a sea, a forest silhouette, a botanical motif in olive green or blue-green – signals to the nervous system that the surroundings are safe and the body can relax.
The home office comes next. Research from 2025 on art in academic and office environments shows that artistic elements reduce perceived stress and increase concentration and positive feelings. Art that asks little of the viewer – abstract forms, open compositions – works better in creative environments. In a home office for analytical work and focus, geometric, pared-back motifs are a better choice than dense, narratively complex ones.
The hallway is the room most often overlooked, but it is especially important for well-being. It is the threshold – what you see when you come home and the last thing you take with you when you leave. Research on emotional priming shows that visual cues at a threshold affect the state you carry into the next room. A poster in the hallway that you genuinely like is a small but consistent investment.
Read more in our guide Minimalist Posters – A Guide to Style, Motifs, and Styling at Home and in Doktorn.com’s overview of neuroaesthetics and art’s effects on the brain.
Frequently asked questions about art and well-being at home
Art in the home is more than aesthetics - it’s part of the environment that shapes how you feel every day. Explore botanical posters and nature prints featuring motifs with documented calming effects, or browse works by renowned artists for aesthetic power with depth and history.