Fast Food Uses Art Too

Long day at work? Why not stop into a Burger King and enjoy the soothing, tranquil atmosphere?

Because you can’t.
Relaxation + fast food = ‘does not compute’

But did you know there’s a reason for it? Fast food restaurants are purposefully designed to be obnoxiously colored so patrons won't hang around. In fact, there’s a whole marketing field about how to use color in branding to elicit different emotional responses.

Paying for Atmosphere

I bet people would pay a little more for their burger without complaint if the surroundings were calm, earth-colored, and surrounded by beautiful photography of naturescapes.

Not because they were getting a better product, but because the atmosphere unconsciously made their day a little better, encouraged them to take a breath--let their walls down a little. I bet the workers would want to stay around longer too.

Perceived Quality, Real Results

Turns out, this isn't just speculation. This all relates to 'perceived quality'. The product is the same, but the perception of the experience changes for the positive. (By the way, the reason fast food restaurants don’t do this isn’t because they don’t know better - it’s because their business model is about getting as many people in and out as quickly as possible. They don’t want people to relax!)

Now, imagine instead of fast food restaurants, you're in a hospital, making difficult decisions while trying to temper your inevitable fear and anxiety.  Creating an environment using images that are not only intuitively calming, but scientifically proven to reduce stress, couldn’t be more called for in a medical facility.

Ever since the 1980s, (remember the 80s?) mind-body medical science has shown that emotional state affects clinical outcomes, and studies also show that images that involve nature tend to calm one’s emotional state.

Healing With Art

So why not join the evidence-based art movement?  I mean, if you’re into things like:

·       Reduced use of pain meds
·       Lower blood pressure
·       Better surgical outcomes
·       Speedier recovery
·       Reduced anxiety
·       Shorter hospital stays
·       Lower costs
·       Better reviews

Not to mention the benefits for family members of patients, who are also stressed and worried, which can show itself as anger and impatience.

Some large images of peaceful lakes, deflected vistas, or endearing wildlife may just keep the frazzled family members from releasing the Kraken on your poor nurses. Get the scoop on Evidence-Based Art for more info, or check out the Healing Art Cart to see how I'm taking it one step further and offering patients their choice of art in their own hospital room!