Visiting Greece may help you live longer: Linking the arts to well-being and longevity

Could a visit to the Acropolis hill, the Ancient Agora and the Acropolis museum make you, not only feel better, but also live longer? Scientists claim that it can. A new study from the University College London, after examining data from almost 7,000 adults at least 50 years old, over a span of 14 years, comes to confirm that those who often engage in the arts, i.e. visiting museums, art galleries, theatres and other arts-related sites, have a 31 percent lower risk of an early death, than those who do not.

Still not convinced to book that Acropolis tour? There is more. This study comes as no surprise, since the last few years, several researchers from renowned institutions have also stated how exposure to works of art may reduce stress, anxiety, and even chronic pain. There are countries, like Canada, who have taken this a step further. Recently, the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, for instance, launched a pilot program that allows doctors to actually prescribe museum visits.

And guess what; in Greece you do not need a doctor prescription for art engaging activities, because the remedy is already known, and evidence can be found even in the language. Take, for example, the Greek word for statue, which is ‘agalma’. It comes from the ancient-greek verb ‘agallomai’, which means to fill your soul with joy, because when you look at a beautiful statue, your spirit is utterly pleased. The derivative noun of the said verb is ‘agalliasi’, a compound of the words joy and cure. Τhere you have it! The ancient Greeks discovered early on that interacting with something beautiful delights your soul, and can, consequently, be healing.

By climbing up the Acropolis hill, always accompanied by our licenced, highly knowledgeable, tour guides, you will exercise your body, and delight your soul. Add the visit to the spectacular Acropolis museum and then compliment it by a succulent food tour with virgin olive oil, and good wine, and the recipe for great health and longevity is up and running. Perhaps you can now understand why Greece is among the 20 countries worldwide with the highest life expectancy. Darn! ‘Live, Love, Lough’ should have been shot in Greece too; art, beauty, sunny weather and Mediterranean diet. Plan this Athens trip asap!

Sources: New York Times

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