Cost-Benefit Analysis of Mood Uplifting Paintings in Hospitals

The primary purpose of this research was to find an innovative and progressive way to reduce the cost of U.S. hospital care. Hospital stay costs have been on a rising trajectory and are projected to rise bout 6% per year (US Bureau of Labor Statistics). We examined whether a modest change to patient environment could result in an overall cost reduction. We examined the cost-benefit ratio of installing artwork that would lift the mood of patients. The Abstract Romanticism paintings of Kamran Khavarani became our focus because the late Professor Albert Boime (2008b), perhaps the foremost Social Art Historian of our time, wrote that Khavarani’s work “…resurrects the possibility that art can change the world by reaching out to the heart and imagination of the spectators.” In addition, Mozayeni and her colleagues (Amirmostofian & Mozayeni, 2016; Mozayeni & Amirmostofian, 2016; Mozayeni, Heiner & Amirmostofian, 2017) found that viewing Khavarani’s Abstract Romanticism paintings resulted in significant improvements in reported mood compared to viewing paintings of other artists.

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