Arts and Cultural Engagement ‘Linked to Slower Pace of Biological Ageing’

This Guardian article by Denis Campbell highlights a study from UCL which explores the relationship between arts and cultural engagement and the pace of biological ageing. The study found that participating in arts and cultural activities on a weekly basis (e.g., visiting art galleries or museums, singing, painting, etc.) can help improve health outcomes and slow the pace of ageing, leading to people staying biologically younger on average. The findings provide evidence for arts and cultural engagement to be recognised as a health-promoting behaviour.

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“This Is What You Get When You Lead with the Arts”: Making the Case for Social Wellness

This Journal of Medical Humanities publication by Andrea Charise, Nicole Dufoe, and Dirk J. Rodricks presents a historical, theoretical, and practice-guided framework for social wellness that highlights aesthetics and arts engagement as meaningful drivers of individual wellness and positive social outcomes. The authors end by providing concrete recommendations for advancing arts-led social wellness initiatives.

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The Impact of Arts on Prescription on Individual Health and Wellbeing: A Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis

This Front Public Health systematic review and meta-analysis by Anita Jensen, Nicola Holt, Sayaka Honda, and Hilary Bungay aims to explore the relationship between individual health and wellbeing outcomes and participation in Arts on Prescription programmes. The study found that Arts on Prescription provided a statistically significant improvement in wellbeing, serving both social and psychological benefits.

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Cultural Value and the Crisis of Legitimacy: Why culture Needs a Democratic Mandate

Addresses the culture sector's "crisis of legitimacy," which is the loss of support and public investment from government over time due to a general lack of understanding about culture's benefits. The author calls for cultural professionals to take the lead in solving the problem, and outlines the process for doing so.

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Figuring the Plural: Needs and Supports of Canadian and US Ethnocultural Arts Organizations

358-page report of findings concerning “the characteristics, needs, and support systems” of “ethnocultural arts organizations” including 32 recommendations for better support.

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