European inventory of
societal values of culture

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Wikström, B. M. (2002). Social interaction associated with visual art discussions: A controlled intervention study. Aging & Mental Health, 6(1), 82-87. DOI: 10.1080/13607860120101068

The investigation was aimed to assess the link between visual art discussions and social interaction. The study was designed as a controlled intervention study. Participants were older women living in a block of specially designed older persons' flats in Sweden. Reproductions of well-known artists' works of art were used as an intervention instrument. Measurements were older women's self-reported social interaction. The results show significant improvement in the visual art group compared to the matched control group. The differences in ratings between the groups indicated increased social interaction in the visual art group, which continued to exist four months after the intervention. Visual art discussions encouraged reminiscence and stimulated the older women to be more socially active. The study is an example of how visual art could be used in order to stimulate older women to interact in a social network in order to remain in contact with the world instead of retreating from it.