Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42337293›Full record

Trial reportScientific reports2026

Evaluating guided viewing strategies to enhance well-being effects of art viewing: a three-arm randomised controlled trial.

MacKenzie D Trupp, Shiqi Yin, Robyn Landau, Katherine Templar Lewis, Aleksandra Igdalova, Corinna Kühnapfel, Giacomo Bignardi, Lawrence Chiles, Joerg Fingerhut, Rebecca Chamberlain and 1 more

Abstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Trial report in Scientific reports, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors.

MacKenzie D TruppFaculty of Psychology, Department of Cognition, Emotion and Methods in Psychology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria. mac.trupp@univie.ac.at.
Shiqi YinGoldsmiths, Department of Psychology, University of London, London, UK.
Robyn LandauKinda Studios, London, UK.
Katherine Templar LewisKinda Studios, London, UK.
Aleksandra IgdalovaGoldsmiths, Department of Psychology, University of London, London, UK.
Corinna KühnapfelFaculty of Psychology, Department of Cognition, Emotion and Methods in Psychology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
Giacomo BignardiDepartment of Cognitive Neuropsychology, Max Planck for Empirical Aesthetics, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
Lawrence ChilesDepartment of Digital Services, The National Gallery, London, UK.
Joerg FingerhutDepartment of Philosophy, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
Rebecca Chamberlain *Goldsmiths, Department of Psychology, University of London, London, UK.
Matthew Pelowski *Faculty of Psychology, Department of Cognition, Emotion and Methods in Psychology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.

Funding

Horizon 2020 Framework Programme 870827
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Art viewing has been associated with well-being and positive mental health, yet its benefits are not universal across contexts or viewers. A key question is which aspects of art-viewing experiences drive beneficiary effects and whether they can be directly augmented to enhance well-being. To answer this question, this study explored the well-being effects of two art-based theory-informed augmentation videos at the National Gallery, London: one providing guided viewing instructions focused on style and slow, detailed observation, and the other offering a pre-viewing mindful breathing session. In the first large (N = 281) pre-registered study, we compared augmentation videos to a standard gallery visit. Further, in a laboratory-based follow-up (N = 33), we compared one pre-viewing intervention with a filler free-writing task to isolate the potential effects of the video strategy. Both studies used mixed-methods randomised controlled trial designs. Across conditions and studies, significant improvements in well-being were detected from pre- to post-gallery viewing. However, the overall effect of either video intervention did not enhance the art-viewing experience or lead to greater well-being changes. Rather, we found that guided viewing led to greater increases in positive mood than pre-viewing mindfulness and that, among first-time visitors, such strategies may be especially beneficial. We interpret the findings in the context of prior mixed evidence and suggest that future research should adopt a more holistic approach that incorporates multiple interacting mechanisms and more systematically investigates the role of our moderating variables.

Indexed as

ArtAdultFemaleHumansMaleMental HealthMindfulnessPsychological Well-BeingArt-viewingEmpirical aestheticsIntervention designMindfulnessMuseumReceptive artsSlow-lookingWell-being

Identifiers

PMID42337293
PMCPMC13575096

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.