Science has already proven it: art stimulates neural activity and promotes well-being. Now, a Canadian initiative wants to institutionalize this in a partnership between the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts and doctors. Starting November 1, museum visits can be prescribed as part of medical treatments by doctors associated with Médecins Francophones du Canada (MdFC).

Doctors will be able to hand out up to 50 prescriptions that will allow patients and their friends, family and caregivers free access to the museum. Without a prescription, the visit costs C$23, or about R$65. The institution houses pieces by artists such as Rembrandt, El Greco and Rodin, as well as 43,000 artifacts ranging from Chinese ceramics to sculptures by the Inuit, an Eskimo people.

One of the main benefits of exposure to the arts is that it increases levels of serotonin, the “happy neurotransmitter.” Art therapy can also be recommended for serious illnesses such as cancer, diabetes, chronic diseases, and mental health disorders.

According to Helene Boyer, vice-president of the MdFC, the prescription is ideal for the elderly or those facing chronic pain, because museum visits would be an alternative to physical exercise, since the increase in hormones associated with pleasure is similar in both experiences.

In a report, CBC News reiterates that this is a complementary option to traditional treatments and is not capable of improving people’s health on its own. “The most important thing is to use this experience to help them escape their own pain,” Boyer told CBC. “When you walk into the museum, you’re escaping the stress of your daily life. It’s like a modern cathedral.”

The initiative is unique in Canada and will last for one year, during which time doctors will follow their patients and produce a report on the results of the “treatment”.

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In addition to guiding this project, the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts also houses a small art therapy centre and is participating in 10 clinical experiments that study the impact of art on the health of people suffering from eating disorders, breast cancer, epilepsy, Alzheimer’s, among others.

“I am convinced that in the 21st century, culture will be what physical activity was for health in the 20th century,” says Nathalie Bondil, director of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. “Cultural experiences will be beneficial for health and well-being, just as sports contribute to physical fitness. Skeptics should remember that just a hundred years ago, it was believed that sports deformed the body and threatened women’s fertility. Just as doctors prescribe exercise, they can prescribe a visit to the MMFA.”

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