Aesthetics for Mental Health
Hello Aesthetics People!
I’ve been working on talks and a book about aesthetics and business. And one way that aesthetics (and art) can play a role in our work culture is being part of solutions for mental health among employees. Here I’ll provide some preliminary thoughts, and I hope you will comment with your thoughts as well.
Society has gained positive momentum in understanding mental health issues. One area I think that needs some thought is our work environments. To begin, we might think about mental health in two very broad ways. First, there are people who have an official diagnosis from a psychiatrist. Even with the appropriate documentation, people don’t want to broadcast their diagnosis to everyone, other than those absolutely necessary.
Second, there are many people who do not have an official diagnosis. But, as human beings, we need to occasionally care for our mental health, like we care for our physical health. We get depressed. We feel overly stressed out. We may even simply “feel off” sometimes. Whether someone has a diagnosis or a temporary concern, people need some accommodations, at least occasionally.
As an instructor, I’ve found that colleges are fairly adept at helping students with diagnosed issues as they send a list of accommodations to their instructors each semester. Surprisingly, colleges are not as adept at treating their employees with the same considerations; it’s business as usual for the most part. And this seems widely true among people in most work environments. But mental health concerns and diagnoses don’t evaporate post-college; people still need accommodations and help.
Some jobs, especially larger companies or organizations, may offer some assistance for their employees, such as a therapist available at no cost. But there are other things that can be done that fit more into the daily aspect of our work. And often overlooked are those things that involve art and aesthetics.
Aesthetics as Part of the Solution
Aesthetics of place consists of the perceptive qualities of our environment, especially sights, sounds, and smells. To illustrate, imagine a space where the walls feel heavy and oppressive. The lighting is dismal at best. And there’s a noticeable, though not over-powering, smell of rotten fish. Would you be able to work comfortably in that space? Probably not.
While most offices and workplaces, I assume, are not extremely bad, the important point to note is that spaces affect us. Neuroaesthetics and psychology are helping confirm (and even specify) how the built environment affects us. And philosophers have also long-declared that aesthetics is a valuable way people gain knowledge about the world, and we are affected by the aesthetics of our surroundings.
The best time to consider the aesthetics of a space is when a new building is being built or a major renovation is taking place. Those large projects do not happen regularly, but we can still consider other things. We can make other adjustments. You can add portable things like small artworks, plants, and change the lighting with lamps (especially if you’re stuck with fluorescent overhead lighting).
At the very least, we need to begin to have conversations about the aesthetics of our working environments. Reorienting ourselves to the value of aesthetics is the first important step. But we should also note that aesthetics is not only about spaces and places. We can consider aesthetics features in our communications, our products, and our performance. I’ll develop those other aspects in future posts.
Art as Another Part of the Solution
Many businesses have art on their walls. At an art museum, someone staring at a painting for thirty minutes would not be a strange thing to notice. But at work, someone stopping to gaze at a painting for even five minutes may feel out of place. In other words, art at our work places tends to be viewed as decoration only, and not as much as work to be enjoyed and experienced.
Why shouldn’t we appreciate art wherever we find it? Obviously, while at work, we cannot endlessly gaze at artwork all day. But we shouldn’t create such a strange relationship with it because it happens to be at our jobs. It could be incorporated into our day to some degree.
Research has shown that looking at artwork can reduce stress. This has been measured by taking people’s heart rate and checking cortisol levels. If you are stressed at work, looking at art could actually be practically beneficial in regulating your mood.
But we need to change our attitudes about art at our work environment. If we view it just as decoration, then we probably won’t think of it when it could help us. I think that leaders need to help change this attitude. They can encourage their employees to spend time looking at art. They could also incorporate art every so often into meetings. Why not begin a meeting discussing a work of art?
Artwork can provide useful respite from the hectic concerns of the work environment. We have to allow some time to do it. And we may need to become more intentional about it, especially at first, in order to create a positive habit of appreciating art at work. If your office does not have any art, then I suggest considering how it could be added, even in small ways.
Conclusion
Obviously, this is not an exhaustive explanation of the role of art and aesthetics in helping work culture be more conducive to lessen the effects of mental health issues. It’s more of a entryway into thinking about these things.
We should care about the aesthetics of our surroundings. Too often, we accept the “aesthetics” of our working environment as fixed, but it warrants our attention as it affects us. Plus, we should care about which art we hang on the walls. The artwork should try to inspire us, and we know, for example, that art depicting natural scenes is particularly good for us.
Too many studies have confirmed and continue to confirm that the built environment affects us. Unfortunately, too many of those effects are negative. We cannot ignore art and aesthetics in our working environments, since we spend so much time there. Expect to have aesthetics experiences. Look for the positive aesthetic features of your surroundings. And create a habit of appreciating the aesthetic features, no matter how big or how small. And by doing so, we can help make our surroundings more beautiful.
Relevant ARL Articles
Bringing Beauty to Business: An Interview with Bella Zhang
ARL News
On April 4, Michael will speak about “Beauty as a Basic Good” for Lexington Community Education. This event will be online.
Michael will be hosting a salon on InterIntellect on April 10 (6:30-8:30 EDT), where we’ll discuss the relationship between beauty and morality. Sign up today!