Igdalova, Aleksandra; Humphries, Stacey and Chamberlain, Rebecca. 2025. Room to Breathe: Testing the efficacy of mindful breathing and mindful design in enhancing museum experiences. Journal of Positive Psychology, ISSN 1743-9760 [Article] (In Press)

Text Room to Breathe Testing the efficacy of mindful breathing and mindful design in enhancing museum experiences.pdf - Published Version Available under License Creative Commons Attribution. Download (6MB)

Abstract or Description

Mindfulness-based activities are increasingly offered in arts institutions, yet little is known about the effectiveness of different interventions. Across two experiments, we examined the impacts of mindful breathing and mindful design on mood and aesthetic experience at Manchester Art Gallery. In Experiment 1, 202 participants viewed two portraits in Room to Breathe, a gallery space designed for mindful art viewing, after watching either a mindful breathing video, an informational video, or no video. Mindful breathing had no significant effect on mood or aesthetic experience. Experiment 2 replicated Experiment 1 in a traditional, non-mindful gallery space, allowing for a direct comparison of mindful breathing and mindful design (N = 261). While mindful breathing again had no impact, mindful design led to increased valence, decreased arousal, higher perceptual engagement, and more time spent viewing. These findings suggest that mindful design, as in Room to Breathe, may enhance aesthetic engagement and well-being.

Item Type:	Article
Identification Number (DOI):	https://doi.org/10.1080/17439760.2025.2502489
Additional Information:	Funding: The work was supported by the American Psychological Association Divisions.
Data Access Statement:	The data and materials are openly accessible at https://osf.io/6ejnr/?view_only=fb89c98463de47518ba2a5398851a10c
Keywords:	Mindfulness; art viewing; museum; aesthetic experience; mood; well- being; mindful breathing; mindful design; context
Departments, Centres and Research Units:	Psychology
Dates:	Date Event 28 April 2025 Accepted 8 May 2025 Published Online
Item ID:	38821
Date Deposited:	15 May 2025 08:57
Last Modified:	20 May 2025 08:44
Peer Reviewed:	Yes, this version has been peer-reviewed.
URI:	https://research.gold.ac.uk/id/eprint/38821

View statistics for this item...

Edit Record (login required)